Peck of Puckleberries
by LightningFuryStrike13
Summary: A variety of oneshots I've written. First chapter establishes my head canon. Enjoy.
1. Glee Head Canon

Okay I have this Glee-verse in my head that I like to play with story ideas in. None of them are really connected or have any continuality except for a few key factors.

One stable thing in this verse are Rachel's dads. We were given so little info on them for so long that I made up my own profiles for them. The thing is I made the Berry Daddies a couple of total and legit badasses. I'll include the profiles further down.

Another thing that's pretty stable is that Rachel's okay with violence, and fighting. While she doesn't like to do it herself she's not this horribly disappointed mess if someone gets into a fight. She herself is actually quite a good fighter and excellent with guns and some simple explosives. Yes making things explode with her Daddy is fun but giving mini-concerts where she gets to dress up and sing were much more interesting to her as a child and has only gotten more so as she's grown. Her dads do their best to support her dreams but it's not a concentrated area of interest for them.

Puck's family is pretty stable in this verse as well. His mom is a RN and works the ER on third shifts at a hospital in Chicago. This is actually a pretty common thing for nurses to do. They'll work far away from home on the ludicrous shifts where they make something like triple overtime because they're willing to work those hours. This explains why she's somewhat ignorant of everything her son gets up to in the mean time. His little sister practically lives with his Nana Connie freeing up more of Puck's time. Again this is something from my own childhood when my grandparents began to seriously consider weather or not they should just adopt me and be done with it. With Puck running wild so much occasionally the Berry Daddies would step in when he was younger and have always been pretty chumming with the young boy without a father. The slushies Rachel never told her dads about them because she thought it'd ruin the relationship Puck had with her dads. After they dated Puck became more and more a regular visitor at the Berry household again where he himself eventually confessed to the slushies.

So yeah when I think of stories I put them in that universe. I'm thinking of making this a front page for the various one shots I have written or will write. I'll update the other one-shots to say they're being moved.

Badass Berries Universe

Noah "Puck" Puckerman's family

Rebekah Puckerman – mother; RN (Registered Nurse); thin black haired woman; works long hours away from home; makes a point to be home Friday night for movie night with her kids but is generally absence the rest of the time. Though she worries about the stuff her son gets up to she works hard to keep a roof over their heads while putting some aside for her children's futures. She depends on her mother and the Berrys to keep on eye on her children meanwhile. She is respected for her hard work.

Sandra Puckerman – sister; stays mainly with her Nana; young, pale, short black hair, has trouble pronouncing L's properly but will grow out of it. Sandra varies in whether her and Puck are full siblings or not. Sometimes her dad is someone her mom had an affair with sometimes she's from the same father, sometimes she's from a boyfriend after Puck's dad. She's 10 years younger than Puck and somewhat hero worships her older brother who is her hero, protector, surrogate dad, and brother all rolled into one. She carries his picture in a little pink wallet he got her along with an ID he had made. Due to her mom's absence it's Puck who drummed stranger danger, safety laws, and emergency phone numbers into her. Calls all of Puck's girlfriends by Disney names; Lauren was Ursula; Santana was the Evil Queen; Quinn was Maleficent; Rachel she called Jasmine at first but has decided that she's a princess in her own right and just calls her Princess Rachel and always wants to know when Prince Noah will marry her.

Connie "Nana" Greenburg – grandmother; lives further out in the country; drives to Mansfield every Friday afternoon for Temple and then stays over until Saturday evening to drive back. Moved from New York to Lima when her husband came to work in the tank plant; Fluent in Yiddish she taught both Puck, Rachel and Sandra Yiddish and Hebrew when they were young and arranged Puck's Bar Mitzvah. She primarily takes care of Sandra and tries to call Puck daily to keep an eye on him. Gives music lessons out of her home; primarily piano and lap harp. Rachel took lessons with her when she was younger.

Nathan Puckerman – father; greatly varies; different in almost every story that features him. Most won't. Excuses for leaving vary from anger over his wife having an affair, prison, divorce to he works on the road a lot and is simply not home a great deal; he can send money or not;

Stable facts are that Puck was born when he was 18 and still in high school. Played guitar and taught Puck when he was very young. Puck's finger tips are scarred because his dad cut X's into them when he was first learning to play to help him build up callous. This was done no matter what kind dad he was or why he left because doing it to a young child or no this is actually just something that guitar players really do. My husband gave me this tidbit because some of his uncles have done it. Looks like an older Puck

Nathan Puckerman's parents – Amos, a carpenter who was in Vietnam and Naomi, who had Nathan when she was 19 and was Amos's high school sweetheart; Jewish; live on the outskirts of Allen county. They usually won't appear in the story unless Nathan does as well.

Rachel Berry's family

These were inspired by watching Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. What about all those other guys working for SHIELD in the room?

Hiram Berry: 43 years old. American native but raised from 11 in Israel. Former Israeli Commando. SHIELD (or similar organization) security expert. Works as a security consultant, krav maga instructor, and owns a gun store in down town Lima which covers his arms deals for SHIELD. Although in excellent physical condition is often under estimated due to his short stature (5'5"), bald head, and perfectly starched shirts. He's the more serious of the two. He tells dark humor jokes and still has two bullets imbedded in his body that pain him during bad weather. Although he's exceptionally gentle with his daughter he's still a very dangerous man and is **always** armed. He started the sadness/water thing with Rachel having grown up in a desert where water was precious.

How he came out: He stole all the guns from his platoon at night then woke them up holding the only gun to inform them he was gay. Amazed at the sheer balls of this his comrades banded together to support him.

Leroy Berry: 45 years old, born in a small town outside of New Orleans. Boxer, Chemist. Works for SHIELD (or similar organization) as a scientist focusing on chemical warfare. Is a drag queen although he usually doesn't do this in Lima because of lack of appropriate venues. Worked his way through college on a scholarship backed by fighting in many minor boxing matches. Killed a mugger once while in drag by shattering first his jaw then his nose causing brain damage that ultimately killed him (this is blandly stolen from 1,000 Ways to Die). Is exactly one foot taller than his lifemate. Is almost always in a good mood and has a very macho attitude except when in drag when he affects a haunty demeanor. He has a dirty mouth and a Louisiana accent. He has arms bigger then Puck and unless he's working in his lab often goes shirtless around the house.

How he came out: After a very successful boxing match the next morning he strutted around campus wearing a sleeveless neon orange shirt that said. "Yeah I'm gay, Motherfucker. What are you gonna do about it?". He got in 7 fights that day. After beating the shit out of seven men no one ever bothered him about it again.

How they met: At SHIELD they run into each other in an elevator. After an entire ride of eyeing each other and then some subtle flirting they started going out.

They chose a mostly stationary position after Rachel started regular school but are often away on business usually not at the same time or for very long though even though they trust Rachel to be alone now. Hiram still moonlights with them especially now that Rachel is older and able to be left home alone. They use the American Civil Liberties Union as a cover for their work with Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division or SHIELD. Rachel, most of the time, has no idea. Has SHIELD "uncles" and "aunts"

Rachel has minor training in krav maga, boxing, and self-defense. As a child she traveled all over with her dads. She remembers doing pageants and singing competitions and only vaguely the military offices. While she is aware that her daddy works with dangerous chemicals in the lab at home and her dad has a gun room she has never delved deeper into either of these "hobbies" besides learning enough to converse, or be safe. Hiram mandates going to the shooting range at least once a month to maintain her current levels of skill. It's a very family outing for the three.

Out of Rachel's boyfriends they like Puck the best because they see a lot of a young badass in him which they can appreciate for their little girl. In Puck they saw a young Jewish man they had a lot in common with and are grateful that Rachel maintains a friendship with the young man having him over often for ball games, dinner, and have even began to teach him some boxing and krav maga moves. They've vaguely hinted that they like to take him shooting which Rachel was ify about this at first but now thinks it'd be cool to show off her own lovely guns in front of Puck. They treat Puck like a son and Rachel's actual boyfriend. This is sometimes distressing for Rachel but she knows how much the relationship with her dads means to Puck and doesn't interfere sometimes joining them in their activities. As much as she would like to think of Puck as a brother their boiling chemistry completely prevents this and is actively encouraged by her fathers.

Jesse they have sent vaguely threatening messages to and have put on several watch lists just to hassle him (i.e. he always gets pulled aside at airports, he can never get out of tickets, he always detained in any kind of incident, etc.)

Finn they show vague distrust and disinterest in. They somewhat suspect that Rachel is using him to rebel. They have a severe lack of respect for his intelligence and meetings between the four always end quickly and silently. They hope that by not active hating and tossing Finn out that they won't encourage Rachel to rebel with him.

They are aware of Rachel's bullying at school and have given her full permission to use her skills to beat her tormentors. That she hasn't makes them think that it just hasn't been all that serious. They are however worried about the psychological abuse and her Daddy, who also has his license as a pharmacist, has her on a low dose of anti-depressants that go in her morning shakes as suggested by her therapist. They have enlisted Puck as a spy to make sure things don't get too bad at school.

This might get updated if anything else becomes stable in this universe.


	2. Puck's Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and am making no money from this. I have no affiliation with Hell's Angels.

I forget the inspiration for this but it's been finished for months. Here you go.

Hell's Angel

Rachel Berry stumbled away from the table holding her show choir trying desperately not to cry. Their bus had broken done on the way back from their loss at Regional's and her boyfriend and his new old girlfriend decided that now was as good a time as any to tell her that they were back together and had been for months. They were only waiting till after the competition to tell her. When she'd looked around the table everyone avoided her eyes. They'd all knew. As she got up from the table the choir director Mr. Schuster had the nerve to tell her not to over react.

She makes it to the dark hallway before breaking down and crying. No one follows her. At any other time Rachel wouldn't have been in this dark hallway of a rough biker bar all alone. At any other time she might have been nervous of the danger but with her heart breaking and her eyes filled with tears she isn't worried about any of the things she would normally be concerned about.

It's the smell of him that hits her first, the whiskey on his breath, the smell of gasoline on his clothes. She feels the heat of him next as he lends over her, one hand on the wall next to her head the other gently tucking her hair behind her ear not quite touching her skin his heavy body just inches from her own smaller one. Finally his voice, low and deep and rough, "Why ya crying Pretty Girl? Pretty girl's like you shouldn't cry." The hand that had touched her hair now lifted her chin. She met eyes of molten gold that bore down into her soul. Eyes that saw all the pain and turmoil there and decided she was worth redemption anyway.

"Come on Pretty Girl let me buy you a drink." He wrapped one long arm around her tiny body and pulled her into his side and he guided her through the dark smoky rooms to a corner booth. She walked with him in a daze already over come by her emotions the new feelings invoked by this man didn't help her state of mind any. He left her only for a minute to get her a drink.

Unfortunately this wasn't enough time her to regain her bearings, under normal circumstances it may have taken days or weeks to get the sneering triumphant face of the blonde cheerleader from her mind. The shifting faces of those she'd thought were her friends, the irritated face of her teacher only helped contribute to the depressing train of thought she was on. This thought process might have been very dangerous for her had she not been thoroughly derailed by the strange man now returning with a drink.

He sat a shot glass of foul smelling amber liquid down in front of her and another glass filled with ice and a liquid that smelt sweet. For himself he took a long pull from a long neck bottle. "Drink that then sip this." He pointed at first one then the other. He watched with dark eyes as she hesitantly lifted the whiskey to her lips.

She threw the first shot back like a pro not knowing that her lack of a gag reflex saved her from the worst of the smoky poison. Still it filled her mouth with the taste of fire and char and burned hot down her throat and she quickly reached for the second glass thinking it was water. The first sip quickly dissuaded that notion. This drink burned just like the first in a way she was quickly associating with alcohol but tasted entirely different; sweet, so sweet it was like she was drinking a cookie but still painful as it slide down her throat.

He leaned in close and inhaled her sweet scent as one arm curled around her along the back of the booth. He wasn't touching her; not yet anyway; but she felt his presence as strongly as if he were. The heavy heat of him so close, his musk cloying to her senses, she looked up into his dark golden eyes steady and hard as they stared down at her.

The barest of smiles crossed her lips. "This one is nice. What is it?"

"Crispy Crunch."

"Oh. And the first one?"

"Bourbon."

She nodded and took another sip. She was beginning to enjoy the way it filled her mouth with sweetness then burned its way down her throat. Her belly was warmed by the alcohol and her virgin body was beginning to feel the effects of the poison as it coursed through her veins. One shot was probably more than enough to get her tiny body drunk the additional drink was pushing it. She smiled up at him.

"That's better Pretty Girl. What's your name Pretty?" The smirk on his face should have sent alarm bells ringing in her head but she only smiled back at him.

"Rachel. I'm with a choir group, from Lima, Ohio. Our bus broke down." She took another sip of her drink and studied her captor? friend…? umm handsome stranger. He was definitely that last one.

Very handsome; strong jaw, defined cheekbones, full lips and dark golden eyes. His hair was shaven except for a thick Mohawk and the curling hairs tempted her fingers. As he leaned back in the booth to take a long pull from his beer she watched his adam's apple bob it helped her eyes trail down the rest of his body. He was wearing a black leather vest open and shirtless beneath its soft folds. His skin was the color of cinnamon in the smoky bar lights and looked just as sweet and hot. He had lovely thick arms that flexed and rippled as he sat the bottle back down. As he turned to look down at her again the muscles in his chest rippled and she took in his defined pectorals and smooth hard belly following the light dusting of curly black hair on his chest down to the thin trail that disappeared under his thick black belt and snug jeans. She couldn't see them now but she knew he wore thick black buckled boots. Biker boots. That thought should have worried her. Instead she refocused on his neck where in her earlier perusal she'd skipped over it. A simple black tattoo of the Star of David was on the base of his throat. She lifted her hand to her own Star to keep her fingers from touching the tattooed skin.

"What's your name?"

"Puck."

She giggled and unable to resist this time reached out a slim finger to trace his tattoo. "What's your Hebrew name?" His skin was hot under her finger and she just barely feels his pulse beating under the tattoo.

"You Jewish Pretty girl?" He reached out and touched the Star around her neck lifted it briefly to flash in the low lights before catching her chin and running a thumb wet with the condensation of his bottle over her lips. "Noah."

"Noah." She said his name in a breathy fashion she thinks she should be embarrassed by but… "I like that."

"I like you." He stated letting his calloused fingers trace her facial features. Her proud Jewish nose, her tapered eyebrows, her eyes flutter shut and he brushes gently over her thick eyelashes like fallen butterflies on her smooth cheeks. He does the same to her lips. God those lovely pink lips.

"You do? No one else does?"

"Oh, was that why you were crying?"

"Kind of. My boyfriend has been cheating on me for weeks if not months now and all of my friends knew and no one told me. Then my teacher told me not to get so upset like I could help it. I ran off crying and now I'm here with you." She took another longer sip of her sweet drink and tilts her head into his hand. "And you like me but you don't even know me I bet if you did you'd hate me too."

"Why do they hate you?"

"Cause I'm loud and ambitious and driven and selfish and better than they are."

"Humble too." He chuckled darkly and reminded himself that he didn't really care. He was just waiting till she was drunk enough to not care about making out with him maybe go a little further. High school choir girl in her naughty school girl get up with the too short skirt and thin button down was just sexy and illegal enough to catch his fancy.

"It's true though. I'm a fantastic singer. I'm gonna star on Broadway and they're just jealous. Wanna hear me sing?"

"I can think of better uses for those lips of yours." He leaned in and smiled evilly at her.

"Are you gonna take advantage of me?" Rachel asked him innocently.

He stated into her big brown eyes with some surprise before stating, "Yes." What was the point in lying?

"Good." She leaned forward the necessary inches and connected their lips. Kisses with her boyfriend had always been sweet, closed mouth affairs. She'd found the whole French kissing thing somewhat disgusting. Kissing this stranger was entirely different although she'd started the kiss he quickly took over; massaging and nipping, licking at her lips slowly teasing her mouth open to play along her teeth and caress her tongue. Rachel was nothing if not a quick learner though and quickly began to gently explore as well; sliding her tongue along his in an erotic dance, biting at his lips and gasping gently into his mouth.

He caught a hold of her nearest knee and pulled her aside his lap and suddenly his hands were everywhere. The forbidden area of her chest was gently caressed through her shirt and a few buttons undone for calloused fingers to stroke the newly revealed skin. Her legs, where not covered by knee socks, were caressed by warm palms. Two strong hands curved to her ass, exposed by his shifting hands under her panties, to pull her hips closer to the heat of him under his jeans, the hard bulge that pulsed against her center. Oh he liked her alright.

Her brain was hazed by his kisses but as she slowly regained some sense of herself her own hands began to wander. Who say only girls got to get felt up? Her hands satisfied themselves at first in the short curls in the strip on his head but quickly trailed down to broad shoulders and thick arms. Her fingers brushed the light hair on his chest and slipped under his vest to wisp gently over his nipples. She splayed her fingers over the wide expanse of his chest and delighted in the rippling muscles that tightened under her hands.

She completely lost all sense of time as they kissed but when he finally relinquished her lips to kiss along her throat she was gasping for breath. An unusual occurrence with breath control like her own but this man was stealing the air from her lungs easily. She dropped light kisses on his bowed head. Her fingers came up to again caress his skull as he ventured towards the promised land of her breasts.

A few more buttons slipped free and she couldn't contain her small cries when his hot mouth closed over her nipple. It was if that heat instantly traveled between her legs and she whimpered as she felt her panties grow damper with every pull of his mouth. His rough hand massaged and pulled at her other breast. He pulled the cup of her thin cotton bra down and switched nipples as his other hand peeled the other now wet cup off her other breast.

Had Rachel been in her right mind she might have been more self conscious of the fact that she was straddling a stranger's lap in the middle of a dark and smoky bar. But if she'd been in her right mind she'd have realized that they were tucked into a dark booth among many other similarly occupied dark booths; which was making it particularly hard for Miss Pillsbury to find her.

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The ginger counselor had been outside on her cell phone to Principal Figgins when the Fuinn bomb dropped on Rachel. She'd been trying to get him to send another bus but he'd noted that it just wasn't in the glee club budget and that her and Will would have to find another way of getting the children home. Emma had momentarily thought of threatening to call parents particularly Rachel's who would come down on the school like a Jewish Hammer but decided to try Ken first. Her ex-fiancé was currently trying to get one of the many buses set aside for the athletics out to the absolutely filthy biker bar they were currently stranded at. Unfortunately that might take several hours. Emma quaked inside at the thought that eventually she'd have to use the public restroom at this questionable locale.

When she'd walked back in to tell Will of her results she does a headcount and wonders aloud at where Rachel is. There are shifting eyes around the table before Tina stuttered out that Rachel went to the bathroom some time ago. Emma, however, could hardly miss the reunited It couple making out nearby and mutters about going to see what she has to work with in the bathroom.

A quick check in the surprisingly not too heinous women's restrooms reveals no Rachel and Emma begins a slow, cringing walk through the maze like establishment in search of the wayward starlet. Many of the rough necks in the bar watch her with curious eyes but none approach. She finally comes to the room Rachel is in. Its dark inside with lights even more muted than the rest of the sinister place. Truly the only light comes from yet another bar set in the back and from the open doorway. She enters slowly. There's a small dance floor surrounded by many booths, all dark some even curtained. She hears what even her virgin ears can discern as whimpers of pleasure and sighs of desire. As uncomfortable as this makes her she still pushes on to the bar. It was time to start asking questions.

"E-e-xcuse me?" She motioned to the bartender leaning against the bar reading a magazine in the low light. At first she thinks it's some sort of porn rag but as she comes closer she notices the article is about motorcycles and the scantily clad girl astride the bike was there only for show. He turned dark green eyes to the slight ginger as she stammered out the question.

"You want a drink?" He asked now focusing his attention on her. She twitched and fidgeted a lot wringing her hands in almost a washing motion.

"Umm… no. Thank you. I was…uh…Do you have any hand sanitizer?" She finally spit out.

He raised an eyebrow at her but reached beneath the bar and popped open a good sized bottle of the stuff to squirt out into her hands.

She quickly with practiced motions smoothed the gel over her hands and seemed to settle down, much more tolerant of her surroundings. "Thank you very much."

He nodded and waited to see what the quirky lady would do next. She was much more entertaining than his magazine. He wondered if he could coax her behind the counter for some fun.

"Now I'm looking for a young girl. She was part of my group and it seems as though she's wandered off. She's short, brunette, big brown eyes, and usually very loud which worries me since I haven't heard her…yet"

He shook his head slowly, "Haven't seen anyone like that come in here."

"Oh." Ms. Pillsbury began to wring her hands a bit more now truly getting worried about little Rachel Berry. She may have been loud and obnoxious but to have disappeared in this place.

"Don't worry." The bartender said having walked from behind the bar to stand next to her. "There's a big motorcycle club in the bar right now. Nobody's gonna snatch any girls with them around. Why don't you come back around the bar? Have a drink. Relax. I'm sure she's fine."

Her eyes widened at the well known group but was distracted by his proximity. "Oh no I couldn't." She shook her head then looked quite frightened when the barkeep went to tuck a piece of fallen ginger hair the color of fine whiskey back behind her ear. "Don't touch me!" She flinched and closed her eyes. 'I've insulted him. He'll be mad at me.' "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm…." Her breath caught a bit.

"…Mysophobic?" He asked gently his hand hanging in the air barely an inch from her face. He waited until she opened her eyes to slowly retract the hand.

"Y-yes." She compulsively bit the insides of her lips. She watched him lean a hip against the bar and look down at the admittedly rather clean floor with a self depreciating smirk.

"Me too." He looked back up at her with an amused smirk. "Have a seat pretty lady. I assure you I thoroughly disinfect every aspect of my workspace after each and every customer."

Now that he mentioned it she did detect the comforting scent of Lysol and disinfectant. She tentatively had a seat on one of the stools while he walked back around the bar to fetch a couple of pristine glasses. "I love alcohol. It's so clean. It's why I became a bartender."

She smiled and did not quite clink her glass with his before enjoying the burn of the alcoholic drink.

"So what triggered yours?"

Ms. Pillsbury began to talk with a kindred soul quite forgetting about her lost student for the moment. Like he said she's probably fine.

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Rachel let out a tiny gasp as Puck tossed her on the motel bed. She lifted herself up on her elbows watching him strip off his vest and boots unknowingly presenting a very alluring picture. Puck pulled a condom from his wallet and tossed it down next to her. She smiled when he crawled on to the bed and covered her pretty little body with his own.

He lifted himself slightly when her hands quested between them. The cute little hands lingered against his pecs for a moment before moving to unbutton her shirt again and with the lift of her body and a little pinch she unhooked her bra.

He continued the worship her pretty pink mouth with his own for several minutes before rearing back to remove her clothing. "How old are you Rachel?"

"16. How old are you?" She reached out to touch the bulge in his pants and he hissed and quickly popped the button on the tight pants though he didn't remove them quite yet.

"20. Looks like we're just this side of legal baby." His big hands took off her skirt, panties and both socks at once. He looked down at her nude body like a panting golden eyed wolf. God she was gorgeous. Not shy at all either though there was an innocence in the way her little hands trailed down the smooth curves of her body. She reached out to touch him again and he groaned. "Damn Rachel don't rush I wanna enjoy you."

"I wish we could take all the time in the world but they're going to start looking for me soon." She bit her lip. "I'm a virgin Noah. I'm know it's going to hurt." She wrapped her arms around her slender body and trembled in the cool air.

Puck cussed and laid back down covering her body with his warmth and pondered for a moment. "It'd hurt a lot less if I could take my time Rachel." He looked down at her heart shaped face and cradled one cheek in his big palm. "Where you from again? Lima?" She nodded gently. "Your parents home?"

"No they're gone until next week." Rachel, now warm, ran her hands up his firm back, caressing the muscles in his shoulders, holding his warm hard form to herself gently sure that at any moment she was going to loose this wonderful feeling.

"I'm gonna take you home."

"Oh." Rachel sighed disappointed.

"Then I'm gonna take my time." He growled and pulled her back up off the mattress. He ran his hands roughly down her body before pulling her nude form to him again to drag his mouth along her shoulder. "God you're so fucking gorgeous. I'm going to fucking defile you. He spun her around and smacked her ass. "Get your clothes on."

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

"Mr. Schuster?"

"Rachel! There you are I was beginning to get worried. You shouldn't run off like that; especially not in a place like this." Mr. Schuster chided.

'Really Mr. Schue? Really?' She sighed, "If I hadn't wandered off I wouldn't have found a way home."

That got everyone's attention. "You found a way home." Kurt asked hopeful.

"Yes, turns out Noah's originally from Lima so he's going to give me a ride."

"Just you?" Mercedes asked an irritated tone in her voice not unlike when she was upset at being passed over for a solo.

"Yes. Although I'm somewhat worried about the alcohol he's already drank but because of the alcohol he gave me I can't find that I'm all that concerned about being defiled."

The Glee Club stared at her. No one moved. They weren't quite sure they were hearing her right. A motorcycle rived outside.

"There's my ride. Good luck getting home." Rachel said as she ran outside.

Now the Glee Club moved. They got to the door just in time to see Puck's motorcycle leaving the parking lot with Rachel on the back.

As the Gleeks all began talking at once Mr. Schuster concentrated on the mohawk and the all too familiar smirk the biker had flashed him before he'd peeled out of the parking lot. "Puck." Will sighed. "Everyone calmed down. Of all the people Rachel could have ran into she ran into Puck. He _will_ take her home if nothing else." He shook his head.

Finn turned to him with wide eyes as the others quieted at the name. "Puck? You mean that was Puck?!"

"The Lima Sex Shark!" Santana chimed.

"The Legend!" Artie exclaimed.

"Yeah that Puck." Will turned to herd the children back inside only to run into Emma with a tall, dark haired man standing beside her, _holding her hand._

"Is something wrong. What did I miss?" Emma smiled gently them all as everyone rushed to answer her at once. She held up a hand and they quieted. "Will?"

"Rachel just rode off on the back of Puck's motorcycle. Yes that Puck." Will answered but he was somewhat distracted by the fact that Emma was holding some stranger's hand! She wasn't even wearing gloves!

Emma thought aloud for a moment. "Noah Puckerman. Let's see he graduated, barely, two years ago and Rachel's sixteen so...no we don't have inform her parents if it's not statuary. Besides despite his...rough edges Noah could be a remarkably sweet boy...to girls anyway. She'll be fine."

"Puck? Yeah she'll be fine. If you're really worried though Puck's dad's still in the bar." The tall, dark stranger said after looking over the gathered bikes.

"Puck's dad? Nate? No that's okay we don't have to..." Will nearly stuttered but it was too late.

"Hey Nate?! That boy of yours just rode off with a girl." The stranger slide a hand around Emma's waist as he moved to the side for the giant of a man to get by.

A bit taller, darker, and with brown eyes instead of hazel Nathan Puckerman had clearly handed down his looks to his son. He had a mug of beer in one hand, a cigar burning at his lips, a five o'clock shadow and a surly scowl on his face as he stared down the rode towards Lima. "Damn boy! He better be heading to his Ma's he knows we got shit to do in a few days." He glanced to the side to see Will's frightened face. "Will Schuster! As I live and breathe!" He walked over to clap a large hand on Will's back nearly sending him to the ground. "What are you doing here?"

Will coughed and tried to crab step away from his own former bully. "Glee Club. Bus broke down."

"Glee Club?! You started that thing up again?" Nate threw back his head and laughed. He looked around at the staring kids and chuckled switching his cigar to the other side. "You poor kids." He shook his head still chuckling as he walked back to where Andrew the barkeep was smiling at the little ginger haired woman. He stuck his head into the bar and yelled for another biker. "Hey Tommy! You know anything about fixing school buses?"

Tommy, a lanky older man with a bowlegged stride, came outside after a look around spotted the special handicap bus and strode in that direction with a rolling, swaggering walk.

Nate watched him walk away taking his cigar out flicking the ashes off the end before bringing it back to his lips and taking a long drag. "If it moves Tommy can fix it. Seen him work on everything from horses to tanks." He turned back around to face a wary Will. "So who'd my son run off with anyway?"

"Rachel Berry." Brittany chirped.

Kurt stared after Tommy with an interested expression. He'd looked over the bus's engine and hadn't been able to figure out what was wrong. He was curious about the older man's second opinion and, after seeing Mr. Schuster distracted, followed him.

"Rachel Berry." Nate repeated with a pondering look as he scratched his stubble cheek. "Berry...Berry...Hiram and Leroy's little girl? Tiny, big eyed thing with the loud pipes on her? Damn ain't seen her since...huh...Noah's four years older...damn since she was six or so I guess."

"You know her?" Mercedes asked befuddled.

"Hell yeah I know her! Ain't like there's a lot of Jews in Lima to get confused about. Puckermans, Berrys, and the Ben Israels with their creepy fucking kid...Joseph? Jacob? Kid used to chase little Rachie around and make her cry. Then Noah'd chase him down and beat the snot out of him." He chuckled, "I bet Puck doesn't even remember her. Woo I think I'll head on in to Lima after Tommy gets your bus running. I wanna be there to see that boy's face when he realizes who he took home." He chugged his mug of beer and walked back inside chuckling to himself.

Kurt came running back to the group. "We got the bus running! Let's get out of here."

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"So this is my house." She hopped off the bike Puck had parked in the driveway.

He watched her skip up to the garage door and input a code before opening the small door next to it and disappearing inside. If she was smart this is where she'd slam that door shut with him firmly on the opposite side. He waited for a few seconds but then the garage door opened and she waved him and his bike inside.

After she'd closed the door and reactivated the security system she turned to face him. She'd thought the dim lights of the bar and the motel had made him look dangerous but now the bright lights of the garage just threw his angles and edges into hard relief. If anything he looked much more daunting. He frowned at her.

"You sure about this Rachel? You don't owe me anything."

"Do you still like me?" She asked timidly.

"I think you're really naïve right now, but yeah Pretty Girl. What's not to like?"

"Then I'm sure." She took a step back and he eyed her confused. "My room is upstairs." She walked slowly in that direction and his eyes on her swaying hips he followed.

She turned to face him again when they were in her room. He looked so out of place in her soft little girl room. She unbuttoned her shirt for the third time that day. The alcohol had faded from her system during the drive over and she was glad that her feelings in this hadn't changed. Maybe he was right, maybe she was naïve but Noah had promised to be slow and gentle with her first time and she figured that he was a much better choice in this than Finn anyway.

He pulled his vest off and shucked his boots and socks before popping the button on his jeans and reaching for her undressing form. He tripped her back on to her bed and covered her body with his own again. She seemed to like that. He took his time kissing her until she was relaxed and pliant under him.

Rachel lay panting with heavy eyes and kiss swollen lips as Puck pulled her shirt and bra off before again dipping his head to her breasts. She writhed on the bed tangling one hand in his mohawk and the other gripping his back and shoulder.

"Oh gosh that feels good." She gasped.

He chuckled against her skin and licked hard between her breasts before returning to kiss her again. With one arm holding some of his weight off of her the other busied its self with unsnapping her skirt and after hooking a thumb in both her skirt and panties pulling them down and off her. Now naked she wasted no time lifting her long legs and wrapping them around him. She tightened up pulling him closer and he groaned at the feel of her wet pussy brushing against his stomach. He grabbed one of her ankles and pulled her loose enough to reach a hand down to touch her wetness. She cried out when he touched her and he smiled. She was so sensitive.

He reared back on his knees and unzipped his tight jeans. Stepping off the bed he shucked the restricting material as well as his underwear while pulling that condom out of his pocket again. He climbed back on the bed and smirked at her unabashed interest in the long rod standing straight up like an arrow from his body. She reached out tentatively and gently ran her palm over the swollen head. He growled in his chest and held himself back from just attacking her.

'Virgin, virgin, virgin.' He chanted in his head as she innocently stroked hard rod. She licked her lips and slowly gently kissed the dark pink head. He could hardly believe she would do that. She could scarcely believe it herself but there was something about this organ that drew her in like a siren's song. She craved it. She looked up at him curiously.

He took in a deep breath and pushed her back on to the bed before crawling up after her and laying between her legs. Her legs moved constantly tightening around his chest. One foot stroked his thigh near his cock and he smiled to notice her knee socks had been forgotten about. He pulled one off slowly before laying gentle kisses on her ankle. He followed a path right up to where her leg joined that most sensitive of places. He grinned as her hips jerked and bucked as he suckled at the skin right in between her mound and her leg. Once he'd wrung a tiny scream from her he rolled to his other side and pulled that sock off and proceeded to do the same to that leg.

Rachel was in a world of frustration and pleasure. Her body jerked with pleasure spasms and she couldn't seem to control her legs or hands as they reached and stroked any part of the devilish man between her legs. She could feel her pussy flex and pulse with moisture and she was nearly crying when Puck finally licked her pussy from bottom to top and gave a gentle suckle on her clit. She screamed and nearly lifted straight up off the bed when he did that.

He rose up to kneel over her and use both hands to pin her hips to the bed. He did everything in his power to wind her up higher and higher without letting her break. He pulled away before slowly sliding his fingers into her and he only gently stimulated her clit as he stretched her tightness out so that he wouldn't hurt her quite as much. Her hymen looked half broken anyway and with the flexibility she'd displayed so far he figured she was a dancer of some sort and had broken it a bit when she was younger. He had little time for such thoughts however as he removed his fingers and began to wind her up higher and higher and higher with every intention of letting her fall this time. His other hand unseen below her ripped open the condom and smoothed it down his length.

Rachel was in such a haze of pleasure she could scarcely tell where she was. Her entire being was focused on the pleasure she hadn't known her body was capable of producing and how she seemed to grow tenser and tenser with each passing second. She seemed to be yearning for something but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Puck's eyes nearly glowed fever bright as they watched her thrashing body and then the dam broke and he watched with glee as she fell over the edge crashing down and drowning in her pleasure. Now he moved and in one move sheathed his whole length deep into her pulsating pussy. She cried out and her eyes rolled back into her head as she reached up to grab at him. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up to sit in his lap as she cried and whimpered through her orgasm. She writhed on his cock and finally he began small minute thrusts into her.

She clung to him her eyes blurry with tears. She didn't know. She didn't know she could feel like this. She didn't know her body was capable of making her feel this good. Oh so good. Puck with his hands and his mouth had brought her such pleasures that she hadn't thought existed. Now she could feel him deep inside her. She writhed and grinded down him and screamed with abandon at the pleasure it brought her. She couldn't stop her small cries at his thrusts at all. Surely what had come before was it. Surely it couldn't feel any better but as his thrusts lengthened and gained strength the pressure began to build again.

"You okay Pretty Girl?" He rasped out. He gritted his teeth as he tried desperately to hold back from fucking her through the mattress. She felt so good; wet and hot and tight and good just so fucking good around his thick cock.

"So good. So good. I feel so good." She managed to get out as she hugged his hard body close to her own. Everything was just so overwhelming. The feel of his thick tool in her pussy, the way his arms held her to his hard body; the solid immovable strength of him as she clung to him. She licked the sweat from his neck and sucked on the tight muscles there.

He groaned, "Not hurt Pretty Girl?"

"No Noah, not hurt. More Noah more."

It was the Noah that did it. No one called him that and yet the way she moaned it in his ear…He threw her off, her back on the bed. He grabbed her under her knees and pulled her back to him before pushing her knees back to her ears. "You want more Pretty Girl? You want more of this?" He stared at her with hot gold eyes.

She bit her lip and nodded furiously as she struggled to get back to him. "Yes Noah. Please Noah. I want more I want more of you. Please, please, please."

He lunged for her and drove his hard erection deep into her pussy before pulling almost all the way out and pushing back in. He set a punishing pace after that as she writhed and cried on the bed. He leaned over her pinning her legs with his shoulders as he reached one hand down to brush against her clit.

She began to scream. She'd worry about her voice tomorrow and wonder at the high pitched noises that had escaped her but right now she only wanted something to hold on to as her body ratcheted her up to new heights and sensations. Her handsome lover was fucking her so hard that he was sure to leave bruises on her thighs but right now she didn't care. Oh God it felt so good.

He leaned down to kiss her and steal the precious air from her lungs and her eyes filled with tears again as she screamed another orgasm into his mouth. He roared out his orgasm and buried himself deep inside her as her pussy milked his cock. He pressed his mouth to the side of her neck and couldn't help himself from biting and sucking at her skin leaving an impressive and large hickey.

Finally they both started to come down from their highs. He pulled slowly out of her and she whimpered at the loss as he pulled the condom off and tossed it toward the trash can before wrapping his body around her own exhausted one. She hugged the arm that bisected her chest and fell into an exhausted sleep.

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He awoke before her and for several minutes thought seriously about leaving. Sure she was interesting and a truly excellent fuck that was only going to get better. She was Jewish and young and moldable. He'd be leaving in a few days anyways. If he stuck around town he could stop in and see his mom. The longer he lay there the more reasons he thought of not to leave but it was her shifting body, the soft slide of her skin against his, the way she turned in his arms and kissed his chest with her innocent little mouth that decided him. He pulled her closer for a second and then relaxed back in the soft bed. If she wanted him to leave later he would but for now he kissed her hair and settled back down to sleep.

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When she awoke later it was to soft hazel eyes.

"Hey." He breathed.

"Hey." She blushed.

He dipped his head down to kiss her soft lips and she hummed pleasantly against his mouth.

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	3. Hypothermia

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and am making no money from this.

Hypothermia

"No-No-Noah…"

"Rachel?"

"S-s-so C-cold N-Noah."

"Rachel! Where are you?"

"Under the city limit sign, Route 30. The snow is so pretty N-Noah. So soft…"

"Rachel Wake up! I'm on my way. Please baby I'm coming. Just stay on the line. Keep talking to me."

Puck already had his keys in his hand when she said she was cold. He could hear the wind whistling around her and knew she was outside and no where safe.

"I'm so c-cold Noah."

"I know baby I'm on Route 30 now. Just a mile away baby. Keep talking. Why are you out there?"

Puck cranked the heat in his old truck up as high as it would go. He blindly reached behind the seat to pull the blanket he used for parking out. He threw it in the floor boards near the heat vents in warm it up. Hypothermia emergency training raced through his mind he focused on that and not the picture forming in his head of his tiny Rachel black and blue with cold and death.

"F-f-finn broke up with me in the C-christmas tree lot. I walked till I got signal and called you…c-cause you like me Noah. Right? N-no one else does but you l-like me..I think..I-I hope…Noah…"

A surge of angry ran through at Finn but it was overcome with worry when he didn't immediately see her small form next to the _YOU ARE LEAVING LIMA, OHIO_ sign "I'm right here baby I see the sign. Where are you?"

"RACHEL!" Puck yelled and he slammed the truck into park and began to wade through the snow to the vague dark shape he could see under the sign. The dark shape formed into Rachel, one tiny mitten reaching out for him the other hand, bare, still clutched the phone to her ear. The blowing snow had gathered around her knees and her face was as white as the snow that blew around them. Her lips were starting to turn purple when Puck scooped her up in his arms and sloshed back to the truck. He climbed in the open driver's side door and slid her across the bench seat. Slamming the door behind him he started to strip her of her wet outerwear as gently as possible. He remembered this part from the class at juvie but he didn't realize it was so hard. She was so tiny and her hands and feet so cold he wanted to roughly pull her to him and hold her until she was warm; to rub her hands between his own but he shouldn't and he knew he shouldn't but when she looked at him all big sad brown eyes in a too pale face it was much harder to concentrate on what he shouldn't than it was when he scoffed in class.

Rachel was trying to help but her cold fumbling fingers just got in the way she looked at them confused as if she couldn't fathom their current lack of dexterity. Puck pulled her coat, hat, shoes, stockings, mittens and everything else he could find that was wet on her off and retrieved the blanket from the floor. He pulled his own hoodie, warm from his body heat off and slid it over her cold form and pulled the hood up over her head as he wrapped her in the thankfully warm blanket.

"But you'll get cold." She whispered reaching out to touch his chest now only covered by the tiny sleeveless shirt he'd been laying around the house in when she called. He shuddered at her icy fingers and slowly gently pushed her hand back into the blankets.

"Not as cold as you babe. You just sit there and shiver we'll be home soon and I'll finished warming you up."

He put the truck back in gear and U turned to head back into town. His house sat near the outskirts of town luckily he hadn't had far to drive to get her. Vaguely he noted that not even one more car had driven past while they were there. How long would Rachel have been out there if she hadn't called him?

"You do like me don't you Noah?" Rachel asked again in that tiny whimpering voice that he hated. Rachel was loud and confident with a voice so big it seemed impossible for it to come out of that tiny body. He'd noticed the last few weeks that she had become quieter and quieter as Finn maintained his unforgiving stance on her kissing him. Shit pissed him off, Rachel and him had kissed for a few minutes, while her and Finn were on the outs yet it was okay that he'd slept with Santana then lied about it for almost a year while again him and Rachel were on a break or rather when Finn was going to find his inner rock star, whatever the fuck that means.

"Noah?"

Her voice sounded pitifully close to tears and since it seemed so important to her likely confused mind Puck answered honestly. "Yeah Berry-baby I like you. I like you a lot. You and all your crazy kind of grew on me."

"Good." She replied in a happier tone. She made slow halting progress towards him on the seat until she made her intent clear. He lifted one arm and pulled her up against him. Instead of the blanket making her warmer she was making the blanket colder and Puck knew the next several hours would be full of worry.

He pulled into his drive and cut the engine. He wrapped the blanket around Rachel's face though she whimpered confused at why. He slid her out of the truck still wrapped in the blanket and quickly bought her into the house. The phone was ringing and he knew it was probably his counselor wanting to know exactly why he'd driven to the edge of town. He deposited Rachel on the sofas and grabbed the phone.

"Puckerman."

"What the fuck did you think you were doing Puck? Lucky you turned around I was about sent a car down there to grab you!"

"Easy Jimmy. A friend called needing help. Rachel, 'member I told you about her. That douche bag ex best friend of mine dumped her in the Christmas tree lot outside of town where she walked from till she got a signal to call me. Does chamomile tea have caffeine?"

While Puck talked he kept one eye on Rachel staring around her somewhat dazed and heated up some water for tea in the other. He knew he had to get some warm liquids in her. He glanced at the box of tea, no caffeine, good.

"I don't think so. Is she okay?"

"It's blowing up a blizzard here so no, she's not okay. She's probably got hypothermia but I don't think she needs a doctor. Good thing I took that First Aid class huh?" While the water heated Puck ducked into the utility room behind the kitchen to toss the clothes from the washer into the dryer. In an hour he'd be able to wrap Rachel up in warm clothes.

"Kid I think you took everything but the Christian seminar to get out of there earlier. Look you need me you call me and for my peace of mind if it's at all possible think you could give me a ring before you head out of town to play hero next time." Jimmy's voice had a joking tone to it now. He wasn't a hard-ass and he and Puck actually got along alright. Jimmy wasn't just his parole officer he was Puck's counselor too. The little blip of Puck's ankle bracelet heading out of town fast had triggered the alarms down at the police station. Luckily they'd called Jimmy first instead of just heading out to grab Puck themselves.

"I had to keep her awake and talking or I would have." Puck checked the water and glanced back into the living room to see Rachel trying to struggle out of her blanket. "Whoa! Rach, no. You have to keep the blanket on Baby so you can get warm. Jimmy I gotta go."

"Yeah. Call me tomorrow. Take care. Bye."

"Bye." Puck tossed the phone on the ground near the TV and tried to rewrap Rachel.

"No, Noah itchy. Mmmm you're so warm Noah."

Puck noticed that indeed the blanket from the truck had sticky bits of dried grass on it and tossed it away. Grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch he tried not to jerk away from Rachel's icy fingers where they had slipped under his shirt to the warm skin of his back. He tried not to moan as her long bare legs wrapped around his waist and reflected that this was in fact the next warming step. He let Rachel twine herself around him comfortably then raised the hoodie back over her head and wrapped the new blanket around her making sure to tuck it around her bare legs. He lifted her up onto his hip like a small child and carried her with him into the kitchen.

"What are you making?" Rachel's speech was clearing up the slightest bit which Puck found reassuring.

"Tea. We need to get some warm fluids into you." Rachel giggled and Puck chuckled remembering the reaction that line had gotten out of the guys in juvie. He was surprised that Rachel was catching on to innuendo though. He recalled her words in the Chastity Club meeting she'd stormed out of last year and thought for a second that she might not be as innocent as she acted.

He shook his head trying to drag his thoughts up out of the gutter not an easy task when some of the more lewd suggestions of his fellow inmates running through his head about how to get Rachel warm. Her cute little butt wiggling just inches above his now half hard manhood wasn't helping either. He concentrated on her for a second on how cold she still was. How her normally hot little body was radiating cold not heat and effectively choked any desire he felt for her.

The water was finally warm enough but not boiling that he poured it out into the cup he'd dumped the tea bag into. "You're not allergic to chamomile or anything are you?"

Rachel shook her head slightly before pressing her nose back into his neck. His arm began to ache from holding her up so he pulled out a chair and sat down with her in his lap. For the few minutes it took for the tea to seep neither said anything. Puck slipped his big warm hands under the hoodie to very gently and very lightly run them up Rachel's back, down her legs and back up again. He avoided her hands and feet though he knew those spots were likely the coldest he also knew that he wasn't suppose to get those warm before her core warmed up. He wasn't exactly sure why but he did know that it could kill her. Her hands and feet he'd been relieved to see earlier when she stripped out of the blanket were merely very very white and not black like some of the more gruesome pictures they'd showed them in class. Rachel for her part purred in his arms and shivered constantly moving her feet trying to find a way to tuck them up against his warmth.

Finally he stood back up shifting her to the other hip and retrieved the cup tossing the bag in the sink. At his low question she mumbled back "Three sugars." He held her easily with one arm and the tea cup with the other while he carried her up stairs to his room. He put the tea down on his desk and deposited her into the middle of his bed. Luckily it was unmade and he wrapped her up in the covers. She reached for the tea cup but he stopped her. "No Baby it's still too hot."

"Isn't that the point?" Rachel pouted.

"Too hot too fast is bad for you Baby we gotta do this slow okay? I'm gonna get a thermometer just sit tight okay?"

"Okay." Rachel was still sort of pouting at him and before he could convince himself it was a bad idea he dipped down to gently kiss her cold lips.

When he pulled back she smiled at him just the slightest curl at the corners of her lips. He smiled back and walked back out the the bathroom to retrieve the thermometer from the first aid kit. When he came back Rachel wasn't smiling but instead was staring down at the twisting sheets covering her hands.

"I shouldn't kiss you. That's what got me in trouble in the first place." She whispered to her hands. The hood of his sweater covered her face but for her lips which she quickly licked as if remembering those kisses.

Puck felt his heart squeeze then anger roared through him. "Fuck that Berry! You're not with him anymore! You have every right to kiss me now and keep kissing me forever 'cause I'm never letting you go again!"

She looked up at him startled. "Let me?" She started to look somewhat mad and he could see the self righteousness clearing the fog from her eyes but he stopped her.

Stepping forward he cupped her chin. "Open your mouth and lift your tongue." Her brow furrowed in confusion but cleared when he waved the thermometer in her face. She opened her mouth obediently and let him slide it gently under her tongue. Once she'd closed her mouth around the glass vial Puck began to speak.

"For once you're gonna be quiet and listen to me. You can sprout your woman's lib at me another time. You almost died tonight Rachel. Finn did that. Your Precious St Finn who wouldn't hurt a fly left a small girl alone in the cold to die tonight and I will never forgive him for that. Yeah I'm never letting you go again. You were right last year. I wasn't going break up with you. I loved that week I spent with you. Loved ever fucking second of it even the slushie. Then I lost you to St Finn and at first I thought it would be alright he's always been the better man. He'd treat you right I thought. Then I got to sit and watch as he did everything he could to tear you down. I miss the old Rachel, loud, proud, driven Rachel. Then I finally get my chance at her again and I blow it 'cause I can't go after another girl who's hung up on Finn again. Just 'cause I'm a man just cause I'm a whore don't mean I don't have feelings Berry. Before you, before Beth it was actually kind of awesome that I was the guy girls slept with to piss their boyfriends off but then you had to go and try and make me a better person and fuck you if you didn't succeed a little bit."

He looked at her then frustrated, running his hands over his Mohawk, and stopped and had to smile a little. She looked so much like a child right then, swaddled in blankets, thoroughly chastised face thermometer sticking out of her pouty lips. He reached out and pulled the glass vial from her lips.

"90 degrees Baby, that's still too cold." Puck sighed as she dipped her head again apparently in thought. He tested the tea and held the warm cup to her mouth. She bought her own hands up still swaddled in sheets to hold the cup. "Drink it all Baby."

She nodded and he made sure she could hold the cup securely before getting up and stripping out of his shirt and pants. He figured his boxers were good enough and began arranging the covers again. Rachel finished her tea and let him pull her remaining clothing off until she was sitting there cold in nothing but her bra and panties, green with yellow kitties on them. Puck felt his heart twinge at the sight of sexy cuteness; Rachel personified. He pushed her back in to the covers and then crawled in after her. She looked over at him again with those big brown eyes as he reached for her, hesitantly at first then with more boldness she met him in the middle of the bed to twine their limbs together. Puck couldn't contain his shudders as her icy hands and feet trailed against his legs and back but when she went to pull away he just urged her closer. Her hands finally came to rest on his chest tucked there with her breasts. He pulled the blankets over her head till just her face showed looking at him. As he gazed softly at her he sighed into her mouth when her last move before going to sleep was to lever herself up to kiss him good night.

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Hours later as the sun began to peek into Puck's bedroom window Rachel woke up not knowing where she was at first. She had the oddest sensation of being cold while wrapped in warmth.

Cold, she remembered setting out down the road towards town with the snow blowing, cutting through her woolens. She cursed the fact that as a small person she didn't make much heat in the first place. She reached the city limit sign before her cell phone signal had picked up enough for her to make a call. She was having trouble figuring out just how long she'd been out in the approaching blizzard with the harsh wind that persistently ripped her scarf away from her face. Her face felt like it was getting stabbed repeatedly with tiny needles which were good because it was all that was keeping her awake. She stumbled down the road with feet that felt like blocks of ice or would if she could have felt them at all. When she did get signal she wasted more precious minutes trying to figure out who to call. Her father's were at a conference states away. Finn had abandoned her..she struggled to stay on her feet as the knowledge that she was here because of a boy she'd thought she loved almost sent her to her knees. Kurt was another town over. Mr. Schue had mentioned visiting his own parents before the surprise Christmas party to be held at his place in a few days, again a couple of towns over. Finally in the words of Santana no one in Glee liked her…except Noah… Deciding not to dwell on her state of loneliness in the world instead she tried to dial Noah. Only to feel the wind tear her tears away when she realized that to work the touch screen she'd first have to expose a hand to the bitter cold.

Her stuttering words into the phone, the sounds of running feet and a car door slam as Noah's voice rough with worry came through the phone urging her to stay awake and keep talking to him. She was glad he was coming to get her but was having trouble remembering why it was so important he come quickly. She answered his questions in a dazed fashion. She turned to face the bright lights of Puck's truck and vaguely heard her name before the wind ripped it away. She reached the hand not clutching her phone out towards the bounding figure coming towards her. The rest is a blur. She remembers Noah's arms and hands, somehow he was warm though everything in the world seemed frozen. She was out of the wind and under Noah's arm she'd been insistence about something what though she couldn't recall. Then through the wind again to Noah's house where she sat and studied the dark room while Noah's spoke on the phone to someone in the kitchen. Then like a switch flipped the blanket became unbearably itchy on her suddenly sensitive skin. Just where were her clothes anyway? She turned a pout on Noah's back. She hazily wondered if he possessed superpowers; since no girl left alone with him kept their clothes on for long.

She'd regained his attention then as he'd came to try and put the blanket back on her eventually substituting it for a softer one as she wrapped herself around him. He was like a space heater and she a slowly melting ice cube. After he made tea and carried her upstairs her mind cleared more and more. Enough to first bask under his kiss then realize that she shouldn't, which led to his rant. That she remembered. She was his. What a Neanderthal thing to say, and yet it filled her with this wonderful feeling. The same feeling she'd had as a child when Daddy would wrap her up in his arms. Safe, loved that's what Noah made her feel. He was right of course; she could never go back to Finn after this. In the thin light of morning she struggled to come to terms with the fact that she almost died last night. She had no trouble coming to terms with the fact that Finn left her there. Where once her heart held him there was a scar, as if he'd been cruelly ripped out then before she could bleed to death the wound had been seared shut. Noah's arms around her, his words, his solid warmth were healing her both inside and out.

She smiled at the sunlight and pulled herself up to kiss Noah good morning. Much like last night when she'd kissed him good night. He blinked open his eyes then closed them again as he kissed her back.

"Good Mornin'" He rumbled out, his deep voice rougher with sleep. He stretched his impressive frame and crunched his face as he groaned. She merely snuggled down deeper into the blankets and watched him with a soft smile on her face. When he'd finally completed his morning exertion he glanced down at her and returned her smile. "What are you smiling at Beautiful?"

She blushed, "You like me."

"We went over this last night Baby." He smirked.

She frowned trying to remember, the conversation in the truck came back to her, and she blushed again. She looked back up at him to see him shaking the mercury down the thermometer. She opened her mouth obediently as he popped the little glass vial in her mouth and ordered her to stay while he got some warm clothes for her.

He rolled out of bed and quickly tucked the blankets back around her. Then he pulled the grey sweatpants he'd been wearing last night back on and walked out scratching the back of his head trying to wake up more. He stumbled downstairs and turned the dryer back on as the clothes from last night were now cold. He started heating water again then with a jaw cracking yawn headed back upstairs he wandered down the hall with his eyes mostly closed and almost sent little Rachel flying when he bumped into her coming out of his room.

Luckily the Puck's reflexes did not require his brain's engagement to reach out and grab her. He pulled her to him and looking down at her glared. "You were supposed to stay in bed." He grumbled.

"95." Rachel chirped hoping to take his mind off her disobedience.

"Better, but still not where you need to be. You'll hover around this for the next couple of days though. You're stuck here with me for the next little bit Babe 'cause there's no way I'm letting you out in that cold."

She pouted a bit and he laughed, "What? You don't wanna spend more time with me?"

She smiled shyly at him and went up on tiptoe to kiss him again.

He led her downstairs to sit in his lap in the living room. She'd wrapped herself back up in the blanket before walking out and Puck explained that he had some clothes in the dryer warming up that he was going to put on her soon.

She pouted, "So no more skin to skin?"

Puck's mouth slowly stretched into a suggestive smirk. "Oh we'll have lots of skin to skin me and you, as much and as long as you want Baby."

She giggled at him as he tucked her into a corner of the couch making sure her to pull a flap of the blanket over her head again. Again he leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled back her lips were upturned in a smile. He smiled back at her and walked back in the kitchen to make some more tea.

His stomach rumbled and he called back into the living room, "Babydoll what do you want for breakfast? Gotta be something hot."

"Hmm Oatmeal?" He heard from the doorway.

He spun around to see her shifting from foot from foot with the blanket wrapped around her. He knew her feet must hurt and she seemed loath to put them on the cold linoleum. He sighed and walked over to scoop her up in his arms only to immediately put her back down on the kitchen chair. "Why don't you stay where I put you?"

"I'm not a doll." She pouted as he tucked tugged the blanket back over her head again. He wasn't sure if he had to keep her head covered now that she was warming up but better safe than sorry.

"Yeah you are. My little Babydoll." He wrapped his palms around her cheeks and lifted her face to give her a deeper kiss. She looked a little dazed afterwards and he sighed and smiled. "I love getting to kiss you anytime I want; one of the best things about being with ya." He stood and wandered back into the laundry room where he grabbed an armful of clothes and bought then dump them out on the kitchen table. He quickly located two gray woolen socks that slipped up over Rachel's knees, and blue plaid flannel pajamas. After that he took off her blanket to layer over her a t-shirt, a flannel button up and a McKinley High sweatshirt. Lastly he pulled a frayed black beanie and snuggled it down over Rachel's soft brown hair. She tucked her hands into the sleeves of the too big sweat shirt and grinned up at him.

"I think the best thing about being with you." She said as she stood up and stepped closer to him. "Is being wrapped in your arms." He obligingly wrapped her up and pulled her close. "Although the kisses come a really close second." She grinned up at him and licked her lips.

He grinned back and bent down to kiss her again. He cupped the back of her head and disturbed her beanie as he threaded his fingers through her hair. Her tummy rumbled gently between them and he chuckled as he pulled away from her soft lips. "So, oatmeal?"

She nodded happily and sat at the table rewrapping the blanket around her and fixing her beanie as he cooked a large pot of oatmeal.

 **That Evening**

The day had mostly been spent lazing around Puck's house mostly in his bed as he taught her how to play Mario while they lay on their bellies under the covers. He'd found some old gloves and snipped the tips off so she could use the controller although in between turns she tucked her cold fingertips under his body. Her temperate had risen to 96 but Puck still insisted she stay completely wrapped up retrieving tea and hot food from the kitchen to keep her from stirring from his warm bed. There were frequent, necessary pauses for making out.

After dinner they finally moved to the living room where Puck once again cocooned Rachel's body with blankets before crawling under himself. They were watching some old 'Friends' re-runs when Puck's phone lit up. Santana was calling. Rachel wrinkled her nose but the Latino girl was still Puck's friend so he answered.

"Hey, Satan. How's it hanging?" Despite their numerous sexual encounters Santana and Puck had settled into an odd friendship. Not to say that they still didn't hook up sometimes but for the most part they were just friends. Brittney sometimes referred to Puck as her and Santana's regular scissor for when they needed or thought they needed a man. Now that he was with Rachel that'd have to stop. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to mind.

"Hey, listen, Mr. Schue's party in a few days. We were thinking about a major snag in our plans, namely that we don't have a key to the place. So we were hoping you could show up early and pick the lock." Santana sounded distracted and he could hear Brittney from what sounded like across the room giggling.

"The word probation mean anything to you? Anyway we're not going."

"Who's we?"

"Me and Rach."

"You and ManHands?! When the hell that happen?" In the background Puck heard Brittney squeal about Puckleberries being delicious. "Anyway why aren't you going? Some Jewish thing?"

"Finn."

"What don't wanna rub your Puckleberry goodness in his face?" He knew Santana well enough to hear the smile in her voice. Once again in the background Puck could hear Brittney nearer to the phone now babbling happily about Puckleberries. He could picture Santana's bedroom now; Santana on the phone smiling at Brittney as she happily bounced around the Latino girl like a joyful puppy.

"Nah. I'd love to rub his face in it but Rachel can't get back out in the cold after douchebag left her to walk a mile in the snow."

"He WHAT?!" Santana did not like Rachel Berry let's be clear here. They were polar opposites and did not get along and probably would never get along. Hell half the reason Santana had messed around with Finn was to piss the midget off. But there were some lines you didn't cross. Even she wouldn't have left Rachel alone in the snow.

"He broke up with her at the Christmas tree lot and left her there. She hiked a mile in the snow before she got a signal to call me. She had hypothermia, San. If she'd been out there any longer she would have died!" Puck had been growling into the phone angrily while gripping Rachel's body to him harder and tighter. It wasn't until she whimpered that he turned his attention down to her and loosened his hold. Though not crying she looked very distressed and it occurred to him that she probably didn't like being reminded about the almost dying part.

On the other line Santana was cussing angrily in Spanish while Brittney asked what was wrong. When San finally calmed down enough to tell Brittney what had happened Brittney pulled the phone from her grip. "Puck is Rachel okay? Finn's an idiot you don't leave people, especially small people like Rachel, out in the snow they can freeze to death."

"She's okay Britt. I got her warm now."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Wanna talk to Britt Babydoll? Here Britt." Puck handed the phone to Rachel.

"Hey Rachie are you okay? Are you warm now?" Rachel was somewhat surprised by Brittney's worried tone.

"Yeah Britt I'm warmer now. Still really chilly but Noah's keeping me warm and taking very good care of me."

"That's good let your Puckleberriness warm you up. Do you need anything? I bet you don't have any clothes at Puck's house. Do you need like panties and stuff? Me and San can bring you some." Rachel looked at the phone in some confusion and shock at Brittney's generosity but stammered out, "That would be very nice of you Brittney. Thank you."

"Okay." The blonde chirped. "Do you want us to come by and get your keys and go to your house to get some things or just bring you some of ours? I think my little sister has some training bras you can wear."

Rachel winced especially when she heard the enhanced Latino girl snort with laughter in the background but she could tell that Brittney didn't mean it to be mean. "Umm just come by and get my keys. Thanks Britt."

"Okay. San, road trip!" Britt hung up and Rachel turned a bemused face up at Puck who chuckled and shrugged.

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Brittney and Santana stepped quietly into Rachel's empty house. It was eerily silent and the closing door made an echoing sound and Santana quickly walked over to the keypad to input the code Rachel had given her to disable the alarm. It was dark in the cool afternoon. The only light came from the windows letting in the reflected sunlight off the snow drifts outside. Although Santana had intended to poke about a bit now this place was seriously creeping her out. How did Berry stay here by herself all the time?

They quickly trotted up the stairs to Rachel's room. Normally it was a warm happy room but without its exuberant occupant the yellow walls seemed cold and dead. San pulled out Rachel little pink suitcase and Brittney gleefully filled it with animal print pajamas. Brittney squealed in delight over Rachel's under wear though. They were a variety of colors each with different animals on them. She even had some leopard and zebra print ones. Underneath what was likely her everyday attire there were a precious few silk and lace ensembles. One light blue sheer nightgown, a lavender bra and panty set, and one red hot corset, garter belt and stocking combo. This last one Brittney held up and turned to Santana with a devious smile. "How hot do you think Rachel would get wearing this over at Puck's?" Her smile widened, "Especially if we tied a pretty red bow around her neck. He could open her for Hanukah!"

Santana smiled, "I love the way your mind works Britt." She reached out and kissed the blond girl deeply before helping her pack up the silky bits and a few toiletries Berry had asked for.

Rachel's dads would away from home until New Years. Rachel was suppose to be spending a tremendous amount of time with Finn and had there by declined their invite to be flown to relatives for winter break. Now Rachel had called them about her staying at Puck's a situation which they seemed much happier about. Meanwhile Puck's mom was working in Chicago for the next 3 weeks staying at her sisters while his little sister stayed at their Nana's. Puck and Rachel would be alone in Puck's house for the next few weeks.

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"HoHoHO Merry Christmas!" Brittney gleefully skipped into Puck's house wearing a Santa hat and dragging a large suitcase behind her. Santana had a fond smile on her face and closed the door behind her.

Brittney was gleefully handing Rachel a red ribbon and started explaining while Santana caught Puck's arm and drug him into the kitchen.

"So I've been thinking about this Frankenteen leaving girls to walk home thing."

"In the snow." Puck growled.

"That does make it worst. Look, you know about the Cheerio phone tree right?"

"Of course. You need to take me off stress relief. Me and Rach…I think we really got something here I don't wanna mess that up." Stress relief meant guys that could be trusted to take the edge off a stressed Cheerio without getting entangled. There were eight guys on stress relief. There had been more but Matt moved and Mike got with Tina now Puck was leaving it for Rachel. It was a privileged position but was also very secret. If only Tina and Rachel knew the things Mike and he were giving up for them.

"You'll be missed but done. That mean nothing for me and Britt too?"

"Not unless Rachel okays it."

"I'll have Britt ask her if we need something. Anyway I was thinking of enacting Foxtrot."

Puck raised both eyebrows in shock. Sue Sylvester was an insane ex-military dictator with her own private army. One should expect that that army was well organized. Foxtrot was the name of a plan that included the complete ostracizing of a person, usually a boy, because they had done something unforgivable. Leaving a girl in the middle of nowhere counted as a douchebag move of Foxtrot proportions. It was usually only enacted for Cheerios that happened to and Puck knew Rachel wasn't Santana's favorite person.

"That's big of you."

"It's not for Rachel."

"I didn't think it was."

"Finn's quarterback. He has way too much influence in the school. If he did this to her then he could do it to one of my girls. I can't have that."

Puck nodded. He figured that's what it was.

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The two Cheerios stayed only a few minutes longer before Brittney trotted back down stairs with a mischievous smile and told Puck she'd left his ChristaHanukah present on his bed upstairs.

Puck made sure Rachel stayed very very warm for the rest of the weekend.


	4. Give Me a Knight in Battered Armor

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and am making no money from this.

Give Me a Knight in Battered Armor

Princess Rachel smiled at Sir Finn as on bended knee he read poetry from a book at the foot of her throne. The sun reflected sharply from his shining armor. He was the latest in a long line of men who had come for her hand. He was certainly handsome and charming enough in a bumbling sort of way but she couldn't help thinking there was something missing.

The throne room doors burst open. A different sort of knight walked into the throne room. Sir Finn quickly stood to face him with his hand on his sword but that stalled the stranger's stride not at all. Princess Rachel who had stood up at the loud noise slowly sat back down as she took in the sight of this newcomer. His armor looked as if it had once been painted black but numerous scratches revealed the dull metal underneath. His armor, while well-fitting, seemed to have been mended several times and in need of it again if the numerous dents were any indication. Were those punctures on his right spaulder? On top of all this he appeared to have arrived after being drug behind his horse for he was entirely filthy.

He stopped at the foot of the throne and Rachel noted with some amusement how Sir Finn had backed away from the new knight as if his presence would tarnish his own armor. He removed his helmet revealing a handsome face. He pushed back his chainmail cowl to reveal a strip of hair that matched the spikes on his helm. He looked her in the eye, a bold move before kneeling. "I am Sir Noah. I come for the Princess Rachel's hand in marriage."

King Hiram waved his hand giving Sir Noah permission to present his suit while glancing at his husband and fellow king, Leroy. Sir Noah must have seen his hand though he did not remove his eyes from the princess. King Leroy was somewhat amused by the staring contest between the two.

"I bring gifts for my princess. But I would not present them before you, Your Highness for fear of upsetting you. I have heard you do not like to harm animals."

"You have heard correctly Sir Noah. I accept no gifts of innocent beasts slain for my honor." Rachel's stomach curdled at the thought. Many suitors had been turned away for this.

"But when a beast is no longer innocent it must be put down Highness. In your honor I have slain the Boar of Mansfield. Its body now feeds the widows and orphans its rampage of terror had left behind."

Rachel nodded in understanding, "Your gift is accepted Sir Noah."

Sir Noah smirked and his eyes lit with a devilish light. He reached into a pouch at his side and removed two wicked looking tusks. These he walked forward up the stairs to lay at her feet. Her stomach turned at the dried blood on the bony hooks but was grateful that it would kill no more. The knight slowly backed away.

Regaining her stare he continued, "I have more. Bandits had been terrorizing the Eastern Pass. Though they were seven men strong I have bested them in your name. Their bounties I have donated to your orphanage." He bought forward seven warrants signed by the local magistrate. These again he walked forward to lay at her feet.

He stepped back smiling at the soft look in her eyes. "Finally a prize I can give to you without fear of it giving worry to my princess." He reached into his pouch to pull free a soft white cloth. As he unwrapped it Princess Rachel gasped for in Sir Noah's hand lay a rare star sapphire on a thin gold chain. It was well known that Rachel loved stars. Her fathers looked on in approval for despite their efforts even they had never been able to acquire such a rare gem for their daughter. Sir Noah mounted the stairs once more this time though he knelt at the princess' feet and laid his heavy gauntlet in her lap.

Sir Finn bristled at this forward behavior but the princess did not call Sir Noah out; merely reached a soft, trembling hand out to touch the thin golden chain. She looked in amazement at the sapphire which indeed as the light hit it revealed a beautiful six point star. "It's so beautiful. How did you come across it?" She looked up into his eyes, this close she could see they were hazel and gorgeous. Her breath caught so intense was his gaze.

"I got it for a song."

She looked at him bemused and he grinned. "As I was searching for the bandits I came upon a dragon. Almost instantly my sword was drawn and his teeth bared but he made no move. Then I noticed that he had just finished eating. A minstrel from the looks of it because there was a guitar laying on the ground. I asked him what had happened and he said that the arrogant…man had played a song he did not like. I offered him a different tune since if we fought it would just end in injury for us both. So I sang him a song about the loveliest woman in the land. The woman I had trekked so far for. I sang him a song of love, my love for you Princess." Rachel stared into Noah's eyes and saw his sincerity there. "And in return he gave me this. To give to my lady love."

"Sir Noah…" Rachel laid a soft hand against Noah's dirty cheek. He tilted his head to press against her palm.

"Sir Noah." King Hiram boomed for the rest of the room to hear.

"Yes Your Majesty." Noah replied softly not moving from his spot against the Princess' knees.

"You have presented your gifts and your suit." Hiram began.

"And tales of your acts of courage, strength, cunning, and skill have preceded you." Leroy continued.

"With that we approve your suit. We approve your courtship of our daughter the Princess Rachel." Hiram ended.

"Knowing that the final decision lays with her." Leroy finished up. He gave Sir Finn, who was fuming at the foot of the stairs a pitying glance because from his angle Rachel had already made her choice.

Rachel took her hand from Noah's face and closed her eyes. She saw Sir Finn's gleaming armor and boyish charm. She saw Sir Noah's travel-worn form and scars. Finally she opened her eyes. Noah's head was bowed although he had not moved from his position. "Sir Finn, my knight in shiny armor." She smiled sweetly at him and then at Noah who practically had his head in her lap. "Sir Noah, my knight in battered armor." She placed her hand under his chin and raised it to look into those eyes again. "I have been waiting on a hero; someone who could fight the monsters but knew when not to; someone who could love not only me but also my people. I believe I have found that hero this day." She picked up the thin gold chain and slipped it over her head; the star shone brightly from where it hung between her breasts. She stood and Noah stood with her. When she tilted her head and stood on her toes Noah met her lips halfway.


	5. So You Had A Bad Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I am in no way making money from this publication.

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One Week Later

Or

Rachel Berry's Horrible Terrible No Good Very Bad Day

Noah Puckerman prided himself on being a bully; on being the biggest, strongest and meanest guy around; on being a stud, and a sex shark with a fine eye for sexy ladies. Which was why when he walked by Crazy Short Skirt Berry's locker with her daily slushie he immediately noticed she wasn't there. He frowned and with a quick whip of his hand tossed it in the lurking Jacob's face instead before quickly moving on.

Berry never missed school. Hell last year she'd even shown up sick, wrapped in blanket and eating oatmeal in the hallway. He'd left her alone that week. Hey just cause he was a bully didn't mean he didn't have mercy..Okay maybe he didn't have much Exhibit A Wheelchair Kid. But Rachel was kind of his special victim. Like she was off limits to everyone else. Only he got to mess with her. So he left her alone that week. He figured she deserved a break. So she couldn't be sick even though it was raining cats and dogs and he knew she walked home a lot. She had this thing about a perfect attendance record. Hey chick talked constantly it was impossible to block it all out. He walked into English his first class and continued to ponder on Berry. He kicked back in the last roll, put his hands behind his head and to all appearances went to sleep. Normally he would have but now he pondered on the tiny missing brunette.

When had he seen her last? She was at school yesterday he knew that cause he'd slushied her like normal. He liked to mix it up and had slushied her right before 3rd period instead of his normal early morning one. He'd grabbed a grape one cause he'd noticed in 2nd period History that she'd looked kind of down and he figured he'd cut her a break and throw her favorite flavor. He hadn't seen her again until right before he'd dunked into the locker room for practice. She'd been in wet clothes standing before the school doors staring down at a broken pink umbrella while the rain outside poured down behind her. Finn had shoved him into the locker room just as she'd thrown the broken thing down and taken off running into the grey afternoon rain.

The bell rang and he swaggered to 2nd period History which since he normally shared this class with Berry he only threw a nod to the three lead Cheerios though Santana was giving him come hither eyes that usually meant he was getting some closet action. She'd been hinting at making it a regular thing but he was a bit distracted at the moment. He hated change and Berry not being at school was throwing off his rhythm. He scanned his mostly seated History class with a scowl before taking his seat at the pretty teacher's urging. He threw her a leer and slide into Berry's vacant front seat. Where the hell was she?

The next day his slushie went into the face of Fancy-pants the gay boy that sounded like a girl. Berry was still missing. He skipped 1st and headed to the office ask around. Her fathers had called Rachel in sick. She wouldn't be in for the rest of the week. He stalked out frustrated.

That night he questioned his mom about any teenage girls coming into the ER recently. She'd mentioned one had but that couldn't have been Rachel there was simply no way Miss Broadway would…

Next day there was still no Rachel. With a cold feeling sweeping up his back he dunked out after 2nd and headed for his truck. The rain had let up slightly which was good cause climbing in the rain truly sucked.

The sky began to darken almost to night again by the way he got to Berry's neighborhood. He parked in a nearby lot and slunk around her house searching for her window. There with the lacey curtains and the yellow star sun catcher that had to be her. He ran halfway up the fence to jump off and catch the lowest branch of the tree next to her house. From there he crept across the first floor roof to her window and peeked inside. He wasn't a creeper he just wanted to check on her then he'd be gone.

Rachel was inside. She was sitting on the side of her pretty white bedspread in a long white night gown that so did not look just like the one in those dreams he didn't have about her sometimes. Only a few things were off from those dreams; she wasn't smiling and there were thick white bandages halfway to her elbows.

He doesn't remember leaping through the window. He doesn't remember crawling to her. He doesn't remember burying his head in her lap. He doesn't remember his broken sobs as he asked for forgiveness over and over. He remembers her small soft hands slowly stroking through his short hair. He remembers the rough edge of the bandage scraping his forehead and ears. He remembers her sweet voice reassuring him that it was okay; that it wasn't his fault.

"It isn't? How? Why not? I slushie you every day! How is this not my fault?" He hated his voice right then. It reminded him of how hopeless and broken he'd sounded after his father had left. Then he dropped into his normal way of dealing with shit like this. He got mad. "And if I didn't who did? Nobody messes with you but me. I'll fucking kick the ass of whoever pushed you this far."

If ever Rachel had wondered if Puck had really and truly hated her looking into his eyes now she knew he never could have. Because right now he had murder and hatred in his eyes and he'd never looked at her like that.

"No. I….I just had a really bad day." She pulled her hands from his-warm, soft- scalp and twisted them in her lap. He covered them with his own.

Still on his knees, his chest pressed against her legs he wrapped his own hands around her tiny cute hands marred by the bandages that shackled them. He noticed how tiny she was this close to himself. Normally she had such a big personality and big voice that you didn't notice just how small she was. "Tell me about it." He ordered.

"It was nothing."

He pulled her hands put and presented the bandaged wrists with a raised eyebrow and a sarcastic look.

"I blew it all out of proportion."

"Tell. Me." There it was again. Not the pitying coaxing voice of her therapist or the heart broken tones of her fathers. The demanding hard voice of her bully; who wanted to know what had pushed her this far. Probably only because he felt guilty and he thought that punishing someone for this would make himself feel better; she'd like to feel upset about that but the truth was that Puck had been the highlight of that bad day. It made it hard to be mad at his likely selfish reasons for wanting to know.

"I had a nightmare the night before." She paused, remembering.

"What about?" Now there was a questioning tone in his voice. Although under it there was still an order.

"I dreamed that the Cheerios had tied me to the faucet in the shower stall in the girl's locker room and that they were going to let boys in to…" She bit her lip and stared at his shoulder she couldn't look at him not and say that. "Then Jacob was there and I could hear others behind him…wa-waiting their turn. I woke up right before he was about to touch me."

"Ben-Israel?" He'd been asking for a beating for a while now the way he messed with Rachel and that blog of his that Puck heard about occasionally. Rachel was his. What part of that was difficult to understand?

"Yeah."

"Go on. What then?"

"I was so bothered, so disgusted by it and I hopped right into the bathroom to wash it away. I had to take a bath instead of a shower because I couldn't touch the faucet to turn it on. I stayed in there until I was pruney washing off the dream. Because of that I missed the bus. And it was raining. But I didn't want to miss school so I walked."

"Why didn't you call someone to drive you?"

"I don't have any friends Puck." She winced as if admitting it made it worst.

Yeah he'd noticed that she didn't really have any friends but he saw her talking to people occasionally. Theater geeks mostly even Brittney that one spacey blonde Cheerio who he'd screwed last fall. Something about ballet was all he'd caught before he'd tossed the slushie.

"So you walked to school, in the rain. That sucks. Then what?"

"Jacob was the first person I saw and he started snapping pictures of me in my wet clothes. When I got to the bathroom I realize you could see my bra through my shirt."

"Sorry I missed that." He leered at her a bit and felt validated when the tiniest of smiles curled at the corners of her pretty mouth.

"I always bring a change of clothes. They were a little damp but not see through. I wrung the others out and hung them up in my locker." Some Cheerios came by and made fun of me like usual."

"Who?"

"I don't know their names. Except the few who took dance classes with me I try to make a point to ignore them. That almost seems to make them worst though."

"Yeah us bullies don't like being ignored." He chuckled. "I noticed you seemed kind of down that morning that's why I got grape to slushie you with."

"With grape. My favorite."

"I know." She looked confused. "You lick your lips when I toss grape on you. Whenever you're looking a little down or whatever I get a grape one to cheer you up."

"By tossing it on me."

He shrugged, "I get cherries when I hate what you're wearing cause I know it stains. Blueberry when you're being really annoying. Cherry's also the one you hate the most. You purse up your lips really tight to keep it from getting in. I try not to toss it in your face unless I'm really feeling mean that day."

"Wow. You've really got that thought out."

"Yeah." Did he just sound defensive?

"Do you put that much thought into all of your victims?"

"No." He seemed unwilling to admit that.

She raised both eyebrows at him in shock and thought about the implications of the fact that her bully might know her best out of her peers.

He grumbled to himself. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "What happened next?"

"Oh umm. My homework was all damp but still legible but my teachers wouldn't take it and wouldn't let me explain either they just said to do it again."

"Okay. They should be grateful you do homework. Legible or not I think they'd all die of shock if I turned in homework."

"Probably."

"And then."

"Well I got that disgusting meatloaf on me during lunch."

"How? You're vegan you don't go near that shit."

She looked at him as if to say 'how do you know that?' but it was pretty established by now that Puck was a lot more observant than most people gave him credit for.

"Some jocks dropped their trays on me." Her eyes jerked away from his again. Instead looking over his shoulders.

"Dropped their trays on you...yeah I can buy that but something else is there."

"Some of them might have, how do you say that? Cropped a feel?" Rachel tried to twist her hands again only to find that they were still trapped within Puck's rough hands that were slowly tightening into fists. Right before it started to hurt she started talking.

"It reminded me of my dream and I ran out to the girl's locker room. Some of it was in my hair and I had to shower." She paused and glanced up at him waiting for his prompt but found his eyes dark and hard and murderous. He didn't ask for names just as well because she wouldn't have been able to give them.

"In the locker room some Cheerios found me. It was so like my dream that I just froze. I…cowered against the wall. I couldn't even hear what they were saying. Then they slushied me. Cherry. I had never been hit with one while naked before. It was…so…cold. It looked like blood running down the drain. It stained my skin. I don't know how long I stayed in there. Finally I got up and rinsed off and got changed and it was time to leave. My clothes were still damp from that morning and still somewhat see through but I didn't have anything else to wear. My umbrella had been broken on the way to school that morning when the wind caught it and it was still raining outside. I was still so cold. I was cold and damp and alone and no one even noticed me. No one offered to help." She sounded so broken so close to crying.

"I noticed."

"You did?" She sounded surprised and that pissed him off. Yeah he noticed he always noticed her.

"Yeah right before I had to go to practice. You were standing by the doors looking at this little broken pink umbrella then you threw it down and ran outside."

"Yes. I ran all the way home. I don't even remember it. It's like a mile and it's all just a blur. Then I was in my kitchen and I just wanted it all to stop. My blood was warm. It seemed so weird. I was so cold but my blood was so warm. Then I started getting colder and colder. And then it's like a switch flipped and suddenly I realized what I was doing and I freaked out. I panicked and called 911. I wrapped my arms up in dish towels and thought about how I was never going to see New York. I was never going to be on Broadway. Then the paramedics came. It's all patchy after that. I lost a lot of blood. I had to have a transfusion. Then they bought me home."

"I see."

"So you see you're not to blame. Getting grape in my face was actually kind of the best part of that day."

He nodded slowly and stood. She looked up at him the tiniest bit nervous.

He pulled her up against him and hugged her tight. She trembled for a few seconds then slowly bought her arms up to hold him as well. Neither of them noticed her cracked door close slowly.

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"Well at least we finally know what all happened." Leroy said back stairs from where Hiram, Kim, and himself had been crouched outside Rachel's door after having been alerted by the crash of what they now knew was a boy falling through Rachel's window.

"I had no idea that school was that bad for her." Hiram commented hand tight around his coffee cup staring at nothing much as he had been doing since he'd first been called at the shop that his daughter was at the hospital.

Kim, Rachel's therapist, looked worriedly at the two men. Leroy was alternating between anger and despair. Like the boy upstairs, Puck, he simultaneously blamed himself and wanted to destroy whoever had done this. Hiram was much harder to read as an ex-commando flat effect had taken hold and he was blank and impossible to read.

"I think we need to talk to the boy, Puck…He's Connie Greenburg's grandson isn't he?" Kim asked.

"Yes." Hiram stated.

"She responds to him. With his help we can help her." Kim appealed to them.

"Whatever you need." Everyone but Hiram flinched and they all turned to see Puck standing in the doorway of the kitchen Rachel, pale and wan, clutched tight to his side. He walked in tugging Rachel along behind him. He lifted her up to sit on the bar and Leroy fetched a glass of water for his little girl.

"So what can we do?" Hiram asked staring at Rachel's white clad form as if she was going to disappear.

"Rachel." Kim called

Rachel lifted her head and turned to her therapist. Kim noted that her eyes seemed the slightest bit brighter and how her body leaned towards Puck's.

"Remember we talked about flight of thought?"

"I'm all alone, I have no friends, everyone picks on me, no one defends me, I'm all alone." Rachel intoned. Puck looked up at her his nostrils flared angry and he turned to glare at the red headed woman.

"I wish you wouldn't chant it like that dear. But yes and to break the cycle we need to introduce a new element like…"

"Me. You're not alone cause I'm here now. I'm your friend. No one is going to pick on you because I'm going to make a list of names whose asses I've got to kick until there isn't anyone to defend you against cause I'm here and you're not alone." He was nearly shouting by the end of it.

Kim raised her eyebrows and looked at the two dad's reaction to that. Surprisingly Leroy was nodding in approval and Hiram had a thoroughly grim smile on his face. Rachel looked at Puck startled and Kim was somewhat shocked to see signs of arousal there. Her lips parted, her eyes dilated, her posture changed ever so slightly to suggest she'd welcome Puck's attentions. "Yes." Kim smiled at them. "That'll work."

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Puck skipped school for the rest of the day instead hanging out with Rachel. After her story and the plan to break Rachel's flight thoughts or whatever the head doc had said they'd hung out watching Disney movies of all things. One of her dads was always in the room with them and the Kim woman hovered but Puck left Rachel's side only to go to the bathroom. He'd have stayed the night if he hadn't had to pick up his sister from school.

Meanwhile he planned out just how he was going to make the jocks and Cheerios stop. Jacob would be easy enough. A couple of beatings and he'd likely back off; likewise with the jocks. A warning then beatings. Puck had chosen the Casanova way of being a badass this year after all the experience he'd picked up with the cougars over the summer. Before that he'd been a mean bastard. Coach called him a psycho with good reason. He'd built a nice reputation and had been going to coast on it with Finn for the rest of high school. Then some little shits had to mess with Rachel. Puck ran through some fighting moves and had a go at the punching bag hanging from a tree in the backyard. He had been getting a little soft and out of practice. Something told him he'd be getting a lot of practice in the following weeks. Before that though he gave his mom a heads up.

"Hey mom you know that girl who attempted suicide you told me about?"

"Yes Noah." She replied distracted by the movie.

"Well she was a friend of mine. Turns out people have been giving her shit at school and I didn't even know." He growled it pissed him off that despite the way he watched Rachel she'd still been getting that much hell. Sex messed with your brain he spent so much time watching Cheerio skirts that those same devils had nearly destroyed his angel.

His mom turned to him, dread on her face.

"So I'm going to be getting in a lot more fights soon."

His mom's face was bleak.

"I'll try and keep them off campus."

She closed her eyes but nodded jerkily and then turned to the screen again. Puck nodded and went on upstairs. Mom knew that he was a lot like his father. Fighting and trouble was in his blood and it was useless to try and stop that. Puck's dad had never laid a hand on his family but he'd been in enough fights around town before he'd left that whenever there was a disturbance the cops went looking for him even if he hadn't been involved in it. Giving Mom a heads up meant she'd cover for him if anyone came looking for him. He called Rachel before he went to bed that night then slept tearing through letter jackets to get to the white clad dark haired angel at the other end of the football field.

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Puck knocked on the Berry's door the next morning holding two coffees. Hiram, the shorter dad answered without his shirt. Puck nodded to him and Hiram nodded back and let him in. Puck walked into the kitchen to see Rachel eating oatmeal. He sat one of the coffees down in front of her and sat down next to her to drink his own.

She blinked at the drink from the local coffee shop. The marks on the side denoted that it was her favorite drink. She looked at Puck somewhat confused and was about to comment which Puck just shook his head. She decided to just whisper her thanks before curling her legs up and sipping on the super sweet soy drink. She tilted her head and looked up at her tormentor. He looked angry as he drank his coffee. His brow was furrowed as if he was thinking hard about something and she wondered if they were close enough for her to stroke his head.

Leroy, and Hiram came in and sat down at the table. "You're gonna be late to school son."

Puck nodded and tilted his head back to drain the rest of the cup. He threw it away and turned to stand behind Rachel's chair. She tensed but didn't turn. He tangled his fingers in her curls and she relaxed slightly. "You got a yearbook Rachel?" He'd noticed yesterday that she flinched minutely when he called her Berry.

She tilted her head back to look at him exposing her long, smooth, tan throat. It drew his eyes and he almost missed her tiny nod. She was so quiet this morning. He wondered if she'd had another bad dream.

"I want you to get it out and we'll go over who did what when I get back." He'd originally wanted her to do it today while he was busy but he thought he'd better be here for it seeing how subdued she was today.

"Any way we can help?" Leroy asked.

"I don't suppose you have some low-grade explosives do you?" Puck asked with a chuckle.

Leroy grinned at him. "What do you need?"

Puck raised one eyebrow and Rachel giggled drawing the eyes of every man in the room. A tiny smile spread across her lips as she quoted, "There is no problem on Earth that can't be solved by the proper use of high explosives."

The men smiled.

Puck had finally checked out Jacob's blog that morning. What he'd seen had so disgusted him that he spent the rest of the morning breaking into Jacob's house and destroying his room and stealing all of his electronics and pictures, anything that had something to do with Rachel. There were even some slushie destroyed clothes that he had to have gotten out of the garbage that he kept near the bed. After he gathered it all up he went to the school and knocked Jacob out before tossing him in the back of the truck as well.

In a remote back road far enough that it was unlikely anyone would hear the explosion Jacob woke up bound and gagged to a metal folding chair. He started coughing when he realized that the smell of smoke had woken him up. He opened his eyes to the sight of one of his favorite and most revealing Rachel photos being burnt right under his nose before the photo was dropped into his lap. He squirmed at the heat on his crouch but it was wet and the rain quickly put out the fire but not before the picture was completely destroyed.

Despite the rain he was rather warm because he was sitting next to a large burn barrel in which before his eyes were being tossed his most precious possessions. Rachel's pictures flew before his eyes followed quickly by her stolen clothes. He began to cry. Next his laptop and camera were thrown in along with all his backups and his external hard drive and jump drives.

"The pictures make the flames change colors. I didn't know that." The voice finally made Jacob twist his head around to see who was destroying his things. He tried valiantly to hold his bladder when he saw his childhood bully standing over him. He started to loose the battle when Puck looked down at him with murderous hazel eyes. "Now Jacob I thought we went over this years ago. I thought you understood that when I said Rachel was mine I meant that you weren't allowed to so much as look at her let alone anything else. I thought you were smarter than to try and defy me. Looks like I was wrong." The bigger Jewish boy walked slowly to stand in front of the perverted ginger. "So very wrong. So tell me Jacob what punishment do you think you deserve for this."

The red head began to shake his head rapidly and lost the battle with his bladder as a cruel smirk twisted Puck's lips.

"No suggestions? I guess I'll just have to come up with something myself." Jacob howled against his gag as the first hard fist slammed into his soft side. The next one landed on his jaw as Puck used him as a personal punching bag for the next several minutes until Jacob was bleeding from his nose, mouth and various other abrasions. His glasses had been knocked from his face early on and he sobbed and choked unable to catch his breath but unable to stop crying from the pain that racked his torso.

Puck grabbed him by his hair and dragged him back to the truck. There he sat the smaller boy upright on the tailgate before gently placing his glasses back on his face. "Wouldn't want you to miss this next part." He turned and pulling a remote from his back pocket pressed a button that made of now slowly burning barrel explode. Flaming bits of electronics went flying. Any hope Jacob had of somehow salvaging his collection was destroyed with a big bang.

Puck chuckled and Jacob whimpered in fear.

"Now wasn't that pretty; almost as pretty as Rachel. Not that you'd know that because you're going to forget about her. You're never going to look at her or take pictures or talk about her on that blog of yours ever again. No, for you Rachel Berry no longer exists." Puck reached out and grabbed the other boy's chin and forced him to look into the sadistic eyes of his tormentor. "And if you don't understand or you forget my orders allow me to assure you that this can get much much worst. And don't think that telling anyone about me will help you either. I'll hunt you down to the ends of the Earth if I think you deserve my wrath. Do you understand me Jacob?"

Through his tears and gasping sobs Jacob heard and understood. He nodded with several short jerks and shuddered in terror. He whined and cried in pain as Puck rolled him further in the truck and closed the tailgate. A tarp was thrown over him and as the vibration of the big diesel racked pain along his trembling frame he lost consciousness.

When he woke up in a dumpster hours later cold, and wet with dried blood on his face he went home, cleaned up and hid from his parent's until he could come up with a reasonable excuse for his injuries. He called a friend and instructed him to take down everything on the blog that had Rachel in it and delete it. He might have felt tempted to save some pics from the site if he hadn't found a red headed troll doll hanging from its neck in the center of his trashed room. The troll's body had been hacked at many times with a heavy clever from the looks of it. Its message was clear. Puck could be much more cruel.

Puck returned to Rachel's after washing the blood from his hands and changing clothes. He checked in with his mom on his whereabouts and even stopped into the school for football practice before heading to the grocery store. He brought her some soy chocolate ice cream and resumed his place by her side for the rest of the day.

As she ate the ice cream they went over who had done what from the yearbook. Her therapist thought it was cruel to force Rachel to explain what each and every person at the school had done to her but Puck wouldn't take no for an answer. After an hour both him and her dads were almost more upset than she was. Rachel was sitting in her Daddy's lap being rocked slowly as Puck and Hiram hashed out plans and punishments. Occasionally Rachel made a suggestion as well drawing a smile from the men at her participation.

Her therapist wasn't sure she agreed with what the men were doing and after stating such removed herself from the room. She wasn't going to tell or stop them either.

Rachel was to return to the school the week following. Her dads didn't want her to but there were no alternatives, besides Puck was adamant that he could make the school safe for her.

Rachel herself also wanted to return. She assured them repeatedly that she was fine and besides after getting Mr. Ryerson fired she hoped that Mr. Figgins would hire someone competent to head up the Glee Club.

When Puck was to leave that night he pulled Rachel into his embrace and slowly gently kissed her cheek before squeezing her hands. Then he left. He had many things to do that night.

$*$($(%(*&()&^&*&^%^(*^&*&^()

Over the next several days Puck put his various skills to use going so far as to seduce a few moms to gain access to their children's rooms. As he'd promised his mom many of the actual fights took place off campus it such a way that nothing could be pinned on him. It helped that with the Berry's help and the fact that he went to every class he kept a good solid alibi.

Tommy Ferguson had been attacked by a maniac with a baseball bat and came away with a broken arm? Puck was helping his sister with her homework.

Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray's lockers, cars, and purses had been broken into and vandalized? Puck was in math class.

Roger Collins, the English teacher, had been pushed down the stairs resulting in a broken leg? Puck was talking to Mr. Schuster about taking French instead of Spanish.

Over the next several days the school was a place of some terror. As much as many of the students and teachers eyed Puck warily although he'd somehow been occupied innocently when every incident had taken place. That didn't stop them from shying away from the way he clearly enjoyed each misfortune.

Rumor was that no matter what anyone said Puck was responsible, a crazed psycho that seemed to be targeting the other popular kids for some reason. No one was actually brave enough to tell him that to his face but he heard and internally patted himself on the back for a job well done. When he walked in the school with Rachel next week no one was going to say one word although it'd inevitably gotten around school about her suicide attempt. The black gazes Puck gave anyone who dared breathe a word of it however kept it to whispers only. No one seemed to be piecing together what all the victims had in common yet.

It was near the end of the week and Puck was missing. The school gave a collective sigh of relief at the missing hellion. In the front office it was never even noticed that two student files were missing until they were already returned with changed paperwork.

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Monday morning when the white work truck with Puck's Pool Cleaning Service stenciled on the side rolled into the parking everyone outside froze. They watched the big bully climb out of the truck before removing a small pink book bag from the back and opening the passenger side door. As he lifted Rachel Berry down from the high seat some of the more perceptive students began to frantically piece together the last week or so.

Jacob stared for only a moment before he quickly hurried inside to be in his classroom and far out of sight before Puck turned around. His bruises had yet to fade and his ribs still hurt as he moved. He'd transferred out of all of Rachel's classes and now used his knowledge of her schedule to avoid the hell out of her and by extension Puck.

Some of the more popular kids stared and one Cheerio in particular sneered as Rachel put her hand in the crook of Puck's arm. It was noted how Rachel's arms were covered by long arm warmers, light blue with yellow edging. They had been a gift from Puck just last night. For the other students it just confirmed what had already been rumored.

Puck's dark stare might as well had been a laser with how the other kids turned and dunked away from it whenever he saw them looking at Rachel. Puck escorted her to each and every class that day. She sat on the bleachers during football practice and he drove her to and from school everyday. It was on Wednesday that Santana finally caught Puck alone. He stood outside the Girl's bathroom and she knew the midget must be inside.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? You're giving up all this for Man-hands? What'd she do suck your dick while she was bleeding out? Fucking Stubbles couldn't even kill herself right what makes you think…?" Her scream was abruptly cut off when Puck grabbed her ponytail and pressed her face against the lockers. Then she got to hear him hot and close to her ear. The last time he'd been this close he'd been whispering about how hot and tight her snatch was but now his tone was rough and evil.

"Rachel is mine." He tightened his grip and her ponytail and she whimpered as she felt several hairs come loose. "You call her names or harass her again and you won't like the steps I will take to stop you Satan. What ever we were is over. Walk away and never talk to me or Rachel again. And you can spread that around to all your little Cheeri-hos. Fuck with Rachel and you get fucked over by me." He pulled her away from the wall and pushed her on down the hall. She shot a fearful look behind her but quickly scurried out of sight only thankful that she'd waited until after school when no one was there to witness her shame.

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"Noah!"

Puck stopped when Rachel did and watched her bounce happily in front of the bulletin board. He raised an eyebrow and wondered what had her so excited.

"Finally the Glee Club is starting again. Look the sign up sheet is up." Rachel was already digging though his book bag to pull out her pen and sticker sheet. After a week of two different book bags they'd consolidated into his one larger bag, sharing books and supplies now that they shared every class.

He looked over the sheet and wondered if he'd gotten the point across enough that Rachel could join the club alone. Mr. Schuster was heading it up looked like. He was an okay teacher and probably wouldn't let Rachel be pushed around too much. He watched how her face lit up and her wide smile and reflected how unusual that was. Even with all his protection Rachel still was much more subdued than she was before. Was he willing to let her go it alone? Could he chance her sadness? He wasn't afraid Rachel would ever try to kill herself again but that didn't mean he was going to let her be sad. If years of watching her hadn't warned him then actually being her friend should have made it perfectly obvious. He was truly, completely, madly, totally, deeply, thoroughly, irreversibly in love with her and it only got stronger every day he devoted himself to making her happy. So when she turned and bit her lip and looked up at him beseechingly he already knew what his answer to her question was.

"Will you join with me Noah?" She gave him big puppy eyes as if there was any chance he was going to say no. She might even think it was necessary. He wasn't sure she was aware of her hold on him just yet.

"Well I don't know. It's not exactly my thing." Of course if he could tease another smile out of her it might be okay to exploit that weakness. He was good at exploiting weaknesses.

"Oh." She looked down at her shoes.

"I guess I could do it. For a kiss."

She blushed. He stepped closer to her and tilted his head down. She bounced up on her toes to quickly peck his cheek.

"Ah now that wasn't a kiss." He crooned at her, his voice rough and deep.

She's almost trembling as she slides her hands up his chest to his shoulders. She balances on her tip toes and gently so gently he almost couldn't feel it at first she kissed him. He let her hold it there for a second before tilting his head and kissing her just a little deeper before pulling away.

Her eyes are closed and she's breathing a little deeper. He holds her against him as he steals her pen and under Rachel Berry * he prints PUCK. When he looks down he sees that she's opened her eyes and grins at his name before bounces up to kiss his jaw before they walk off down the hallway her babbling happily about audition pieces.

Hours later Will Schuster sighs at only six names on his list until he gets to the bottom and ice water runs through his veins.

END

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A thought I had months ago but finally finished today. It started with Rachel sitting on the bed with bandaged hands while Puck looked inside her window and flashed to her begging him to join Glee with her with the sense of him being this badass protector of her. Fleshing out the middle took time however. I was delighted at how particularly vicious Puck is in this. It is highly, highly unlikely there will be anymore of this.


	6. We Owe A Lot to Marilyn Monroe

Inspired by a quote app on my Droid. The first quote was a quote of the day and I just thought it was perfect for Rachel. Then I went looking at the other quotes by Marilyn Monroe and slowly a story came together.

The song in the middle is Gary Allan's "Man to Man" it's supposed to show up in another fic but it wanted in here for some reason.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I in any way making money from: Glee, Gary Allan's Man to Man, or Marilyn Monroe's quotes.

We Owe a Lot to Marilyn

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure." Rachel took a step forward her voice low and angry. Finn took a step back. "I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle." Her voice was rising slowly but it only got angrier sounding when Finn and others nodded agreeing with her. She took another step forward and Finn took a step back again just the slightest bit scared of his petite girlfriend. What was up with her? He was only trying to help her understand how annoying her diva could be. How could she expect to make any friends when she alienated everyone she came in contact with. "But if you can't handle me at my WORST," That last word was shouted and made the whole class even Mr. Schue jump a little and look at Rachel with somewhat fearful eyes especially Finn who this last step back had tripped back down into a chair and was now eye to eye with the angry Jewess. "Then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." This last statement was delivered coldly, emotionlessly even more so the one after it. "I told you this was a mistake, a waste." Rachel turned slowly and picking up her bag moved to leave.

Puck stood in the doorway. Late to Glee because of Coach Bieste he'd come in during Finn tearing Rachel down, again, in front of their friends, with no one to defend her and the room to back him up. He'd been just about to walk up and deck the giant for picking on his hot little Jewish American Princess when Rachel had gotten that scary determined look on her face and quoted Marilyn Monroe (Shut it. His Nana was a big fan and she had been married to Joe DiMaggio besides being hot and a Jew). He didn't try to hide his grin and when he saw he pick up her bag he slipped his keys out of his pocket. When he turned aside to let her pass he palmed the keys to her. She stopped for a second to see what he'd given her then her breath caught like she was going to cry and she quickly left. She'd restore herself alone in the safety of his truck and he'd take care of her after Glee let out. He knew Rachel enough to know she needed to be alone right now.

When Finn got up to go after her Puck squared up and stopped him, "Let her alone dude. It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone. You've done enough to hurt her. It stops now."

"What do you know? Get the hell out of my way." Finn pushed at Puck's shoulders ineffectively before Puck gave him a mighty shove that sent him right back into his seat.

"I know Rachel a hell of a lot better than you."

"You're just trying to steal her from me! Again! That's all you know how to do is steal my girlfriends." Finn threw back.

Puck winced back then with a glance at Quinn and Santana his eyes spoke an apology before he looked back at Finn. "Ya know here's a new concept maybe it's you."

"What the hell? No you're the one.."

"Who Quinn called to bring her those strawberry wine coolers she likes so much and who let her cry on my shoulder about her cheating boyfriend."

"Uh…"

"Or how about Santana who after you said her taking your virginity didn't mean anything came to me the same night to cry about what douchebags boys could be until she fell asleep in my bed."

Finn winced and shrank back in his chair a bit not quite daring to turn and look at Santana but hearing Brittney comfort the Latino girl.

"Or how about every time you make Rachel mad, or sad, or cry it's my arms she runs to in private because the one person in this school who actually likes her and all her crazy, her boyfriend won't let her near in public."

Finn looked mad again and Puck knew that finding out that him and Rachel hung out on the sly had made everything else he said go in one ear and out the other. Puck knew of only one way that made anything stick with the people in this room.

"Hey Mr. Schue I got a song to sing. It's for that assignment last week about being truly honest with your friends. I know I said I wasn't prepared but I only said that cause I knew it'd cause a big time but right now I think Finn really needs to hear it."

"Uh sure." Mr. Schue left his spot on the piano to sit beside Finn. He wanted to be there in case this big time Puck predicted was Finn attacking his friend.

Puck slipped on his guitar and again glanced up at Quinn and Santana. Both girls gave him the slightest nods. He hadn't sung it last week because they as well as Rachel had asked him not to. Now he had permission. He was singing it for Rachel though he didn't know if she'd appreciate it or not.

Puck began to strum and he pinned his hazel eyes back on Finn's brown ones. Then he began to sing.

"You're throwing around a lot of serious accusations.

Ain't too hard to tell what you're insinuatin'."

He narrowed his eyes at Finn. Despite his near constant advances, which Rachel took with a grain of salt at this point, Rachel and he had never done anything more than hug with the occasional kiss on the cheek since their covert friendship started.

"You think I'm the one who stole her away.

If not for me she'd still be yours today."

Bullshit stealing implied that he got to keep those girls. All he got was their friendship. How'd he get to be the guy girls were friends with anyway?

"We're both men here so why play games

Why don't we call a spade a spade."

He might have growled that last part out. Mr. Schue would stop him but really he'd like to have a knock down drag out with Finn; one where he wouldn't have to hold back because of his guilt; because right now he felt anything but guilty.

"Man to man

Tell me the truth, tell me

Were you ever there when she needed you."

Easy answer there. Never. He was pretty much cemented as Rachel's go to guy when she needed something. After the first few times of asking Finn and watching him fail or forget she'd just taking to asking Puck for help. A repeat of what happened with Finn and Quinn only Quinn grew tired of Finn's incompetence even faster than Rachel had.

"Man to man

Look me in the eye, tell me

If you really loved her

Why'd you make her cry?"

Seriously he lived with two women who didn't cry as much as Finn's girlfriends did, and all those were on his shoulders.

"Man to man

Who cheated who

You're the one to blame

Tell me it ain't true

Man to man

Man to man"

Santana had been sobbing when she said she felt cheated after sleeping with Finn. Given how lacking Finn was in the boyfriend department it seemed all his girlfriends were cheated by being with him.

"Well you think all your anger is justified

Me, I think, it's just your wounded pride."

Was it even about Rachel anymore? Or Quinn? Or Santana? Or after Quinn was it about getting back at Puck. Santana and Rachel had been Puck's first. Santana clearly preferred the fairer sex but even a blind man could see how much Puck wanted Rachel back and he knew a lot of that was returned. At least the lust was and the friendship.

Finn shifted in his seat. Where did Puck get off with all this stuff? If Mr. Schue hadn't been seating next to him with a firm, almost painfully hard, hand on his shoulder he'd been across the room beating Puck's face in.

"What did you really think she was gonna do

She's a real woman, not a doormat for you."

That's what really pissed him off. That Quinn, Rachel they just took it. It pissed him off. Santana hadn't stood for a second of it. It's like they knew better but confronted with Finn's puppy dog face they crumbled.

"You want her back, but it's too late

Why don't we just cut to the chase"

Damn straight. He was taking Rachel home. He'd hold her and make her happy then calmly inform her that he wasn't leaving until she gave him another chance. Somewhere in there he might have to beat Finn unconscious but he'd make time; he was good like that.

"Man to man

Tell me the truth, tell me

Were you ever there when she needed you

Man to man

Look me in the eye, tell me

If you really loved her

Why'd you make her cry

Man to man  
Who cheated who  
You're the one to blame  
Tell me it ain't true  
Man to man"

The chorus was supposed to continue but Puck figured he'd gotten his point across. He'd slide guitar off his shoulders and back into its case. "Now if you'll excuse me Rachel's waiting on me."

Finn nearly leapt from his seat barely held in place by Mr. Schue. "What are you going to do with her?"

Puck raised one eyebrow and smirked and figured Marilyn had been right so far. "It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch her. Not even talk. A feeling passes between us both. We are not alone." Then he jerked his head at Mr. Schue in some pseudo permission asking way before he left the room.

He trotted out to his truck and climbed up to find his keys dangling in the ignition but not turned on. Rachel was laying across his bench seat with her ear buds in and his letterman jacket as a blanket. It kind of looked like she was only wearing that from his perspective her long brown curls fanned out on his driver seat, her long tan legs curled up against the passenger door. She stirred and sat up when she felt the driver door open.

"I sang the song from last week." He replied to her curious brown eyes that he was happy to see were tear free.

She nodded for once silent.

He slid his guitar into the passenger floor board on the other side of her and got in to start the truck up. She snuggled under his arm and adjusted the jacket her legs still curled under her. As they left the parking lot they both relaxed and sighed. A glance down revealed that Rachel's eyes were half-lidded. "So this is it? You over him? For good?"

She nodded again.

"Good, cause I wanna another chance with you." He held his breath as she shifted against him so that she could look up at him.

He glanced down into those big brown eyes and she whispered. "I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love. Is that okay?"

"Yeah babe." At the stop sign he grinned and stated. "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." He grinned at her and she smiled back. They continued home.

"Noah I believe everything happens for a reason…" She trailed off looking at him expectantly.

"People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right…" He trailed off and waited for her to finish the quote.

"You believe lies so that eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself…" She trailed off sadly but Puck took up the last part.

"And sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." Puck pulled into the driveway at her house. He opened the door and reached up to help her down. He kissed her forehead once she was on her feet and smiled into her eyes. "Rachel we're not just going to be better. We're going to be the best." He hugged her to him and she looked up to see him staring off into a future with them together and she couldn't help the thrill that ran through her body.

"Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world." She said against his chest; warm and safe in his arms.

"I'll try my damnedest to give it to you Babe. First though we need to thank Marilyn. We owe her a lot." He grinned down at her and she smiled brightly before lifting her hands up behind his neck to pull him down into a kiss.

She laughed quietly at him and chuckled, "You know Noah, if you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything."

"Really?" He nearly purred and they kissed.


	7. What if the Earth Moved?

XKCD does these what if scenarios and the 8th one inspired this. what – if . xkcd 8 /

Disclaimer: I am not affliated with XKCD or Glee in anyway.

What if everyone in the world was standing in the same place at the same time and they all jumped. Would the Earth move?

Noah Puckerman landed on his feet the exact same time as the 7 billion other people around him. The sound of all those people hitting the ground made a magnificent ding but the echoes of it faded within a few seconds. Everyone starts looking around and rapidly coming to the same conclusion. Where are we? And who are you? Somewhere nearby a tiny child's voice calls for its mother and immediately people begin to shout. Everyone begins to move and shout trying desperately to find someone they know, someone who speaks the same language, someone from the same place. The crush of bodies is immense as people begin to move around but none but the most panicked push against the heavily armed commando.

Noah looks around and seeing no one he knows follows everyone else's example but in a quieter though less efficient manner. He grabs the nearest person closest to him and says hello in Hebrew and then heavily accented English. The third person he grabs yelps and spins to face him fearfully and confused much like everyone else had when the large soldier had grabbed them but this time he pauses. After all this was a pretty girl he'd just snatched. One that after a moment repeated his words back to him. Hello in English and an accented Hebrew. English wasn't his strong suit but he caught her say Name and Rachel in English before she repeated in Hebrew " _My name is Rachel Berry."_ He smiled and replied the same way _"My name is Noah Puckerman."_ and again in English as best he could "Name. Noah Puckerman." Then he smiled and tentatively she smiled back.

Rachel Berry, NYADA Junior and Broadway hopeful looked around in confusion and fear after her feet hit the ground. She'd been in dance class when she'd suddenly found herself, here. Where ever here was? There were people as far as she could see all closely packed together. And nowhere did she see anyone she recognized. She could pick out nationalities somewhat. The man nearby in orange robes was a Buddhist monk. There was a woman with many golden rings around her neck like in that National Geographic show she watched once. Nearby a small child let out a universal cry of "Mama!" and suddenly everyone was shouting. Rachel quickly clapped her hands over her delicate ears but quickly had to bring them back down just to keep herself upright as everyone began to push and shove their way through the crowd. She feared being trampled as the more immediate danger than the fact that no one in earshot was speaking English. Suddenly a strong hand wrapped around her arm and jerked her to them. She yelped and looked up scared into the face of a handsome, if dusty and sun browned man. She barely took note of the many guns and knives hanging from his body when she heard the welcome sound of _"Shalom."_ Fall from his lips followed by a much more heavily accented "Hello."

Having found some anyone who spoke the same language Rachel and Noah stuck together from then on out. This was a huge blessing for Rachel as she gained the protection of the well-trained soldier. No one was going to trample her into the ground with one of the large commando's arms wrapped around her. To Noah he had someone who was native to the country they were in, someone who could give him at least vague directions. They were on the East Coast of the USA and they had to get out of this press of people. With the help of a compass Noah began to drag them West with all due haste.


	8. Radiating Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

Fair warning we are leaving reality behind here. We are venturing into the world of comic. Don't expect realism in what follows. At. All.

Radiating Love

Puck was driving down route 13 when it happened. He was finishing off a bottle of Jack Daniels and the fumes of his numerous joints still filled the truck cab. His radio was broken a result of him kicking it when Finn's favorite Journey song came on. It was to be their wedding song he'd heard. None of her Broadway just Finn's favorite song. It let out a steady hiss of static snow. He held the truck on the road remarkably well but then he'd had a lot of practice. It was when he saw the men in the large yellow suits waving him over that he first noticed something was wrong. There was a smell in the air like the smell of a match right after it's been struck. He pulled to a stop. Aliens? The yellow suits were running to him waving their arms. They all blurred together. Everything went golden and painful.

Puck watched the yellow gold sky for what seemed like forever. Time, space, gravity were all vague here in this golden space. His senses seemed dulled. He could hear noises but they sounded like Charlie Brown's teachers. His sense of smell seemed missing entirely and with it taste. His sense of touch was something he ignored as anytime he paid attention to it he was reminded of the pain that racked his whole body.

He might have floated endlessly through that golden haze but for a brief moment his hearing cleared up.

"I'm back Noah. Hospital salads are quite good you know."

Rachel? That sounded like Rachel. Hospital? Puck began to move towards her voice straining to hear her speak.

"Some _people_ might think salads are boring but really you can mix almost anything up and call it a salad."

His sense of smell came back abruptly and his sense of taste. He could smell his own body odor the strongest over laid with that smell of matches again. There was some weird plastic smell and beyond that was the smell of peppers and olives and then Rachel's own body odor, like standing in a produce aisle at the grocery store with an amalgamation of fruits and vegetables.

"Right now I'm eating red, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers with green and black olives over spinach leaves with a zesty red vinegar dressing. It probably doesn't sound very good to you but I find it delicious. Then again maybe it would sounds good to you I mean you haven't had anything to eat or drink in four months so I suppose mud would taste good as long as you could taste it. I'd be happy to share with you too if you'd just open those pretty hazel peepers." Her voice sounded sad there at the end and as Puck strained closer to her his sense of touch came back.

The all over pain had receded and now he could feel the scratch of the bed sheets, the cushion of the pillows, and the vague shape of Rachel's hand as it slid into his. There was some plastic thing covering it but he knew the shape of her palm, the feel of her fingers. She started to pull away and he closed his hand over hers.

"No don't go….Rachel." Was that his voice so scratchy and low?

"Noah? Noah!" He heard a frantic shuffle of something and valiantly tried to open his eyes. He was still surrounded by yellow but now he saw the inside of a plastic bag with that clover leaf symbol for radiation all over it. Where was Rachel? There! Two brown eyes peered down at him from a tiny window near the top of the bag. He smiled up at her and winked.

What followed were the sounds of a frantic rush of people. Doctors and nurses from the sounds of it. Many of which tried to make Rachel leave but he clamped down on her hand. No if she left she'd leave she'd disappear and go off to marry Finn. Rachel was staying there with him for as long as he could keep her. Finally motions were made to put Rachel into some kind of suit from the sounds of it. As she struggled around balancing on one foot he kept hold of her hand moving and balancing her as needed until she was done. Then finally the bag was unzipped. There was a whoosh of sound like he'd been airtight inside the bag. He closed his eyes and relished the feel of cool air on his face. Once the bag was open the feeling of containment passed and he smiled and stretched and yawned. One hand reach back to touch the wall behind his bed while his feet pressed against the bottom frame. He felt it give a little but was more concerned at trying to get some moisture in his mouth. He looked around and spotted a water bottle. Rachel's he assumed. He pointed at it. He wasn't going to try talking again until he got something to drink. He didn't like sounding all weak and wispy.

"Water? Okay." Rachel's voice came out of the weird suit's microphone. What was up with all the weird protection?

Rachel retrieved the water and looked at it and her captive hand. "I need my other hand Noah."

He lifted the hand he was still holding through the plastic bag looked like he was thinking for a second before deciding that letting her go was simply too risky and with her holding the bottle he twisted the cap off and then took it from her. The people in the suits around him muttered and made notes on the charts. He took several healthy drinks coating his dry mouth before finally finishing the bottle off. He crushed the plastic and chucked it into the waste basket he saw beside his bed not noticing how the plastic had molded around his fingers for an instant. He used his free hand to level himself into a sitting position. The sheet covering his chest fell and he noticed he wasn't really wearing anything. He lifted the sheet high enough that he could see his toes. He wiggled them experimentally before lowering the sheet.

"Well…" He cleared his throat and tried again in his normal voice, "Well nice to see I'm still all there." He turned to look at Rachel. At least he assumed it was Rachel. The oversized helmet had a reflective visor that he couldn't see through but he could still feel her hand through the plastic. "What's with all the gear? I don't smell that bad do I?" He smiled at Rachel's visor. God he wanted to see her face.

"How are you feeling, son?"

Puck turned to face the voice but he had trouble figuring out which one had said what. They all looked the same in these suits. "Good, great in fact. There was a lot of pain for a while. Every time I woke up at least so I just went back to sleep. But I feel great now. Like seriously really really good." It was true. He felt like he did after a good workout. Pumped, strong, full of life only better than that; a lot better.

"So you've woken up before?" A different voice this time. More to the left closer to the window. Puck wished there was somewhat to determine who was who.

"Yeah a couple of times. It felt like my whole body was on fire though so I just pushed it away and went back to sleep. It'd been a long time since I'd tried but today my hearing cleared up so I could actually make things out and I heard Rachel talking and I tried to get up because she was going away so I held on to her and here we are."

"I'm not going anywhere Noah."

"That's true. She hasn't left since you were bought in. Threw an unholy fit whenever anyone tried to remove her and screamed the walls down when they tried to carry her out of the hospital. The one time they succeeded, she apparently snuck out of her father's house, hitchhiked back here and crawled through the ventilation system to bypass security. They gave up on making her leave after that." A female voice this time, she sounded equal parts humored, impressed and frustrated.

"Damn, Baby."

Rachel blushed. He couldn't see it but he could tell from the way she shifted her feet and curled her fingers against his hand.

"We need to run some tests on you Noah then we'll see about getting your girlfriend out of the suit." The first voice spoke again. There were five suits in the room. Rachel, the first, the second, the woman, and the last stood in the back watching them all but not speaking.

Puck waited for Rachel to launch into an explanation of how she was not his girlfriend that she was in fact engaged to his best friend. But she didn't say a word; just held his hand as the doctor which was who he figured the second voice was started asking him questions and eventually the woman, the nurse he figured moved in to check his vitals.

His temperature was high but he was told 106 was pretty normal for him now. They checked his dexterity with him doing one hand at a time trading off holding Rachel's hand. Even he was starting to find his reluctance to let her go strange but every time he even thought about letting go of her hand his mind instantly dismissed it as if he'd just thought about chopping off a limb. He couldn't live without his limbs why would he let go of Rachel. It was like the importance of both was equal. The first man called in a sixth after the doctor was done and the sixth bought in a strange machine that made a weird static noise. Again there were numerous mutters between the suits using words that went far over his head anyway. He turned to look at the reflective surface of Rachel's mask. God he wished he could see her face. Could touch her skin instead of this thick plastic.

The sixth man ran his odd handheld wand that was connected to his weird machine over his body. He paused over his and Rachel's hands. He waved the wand at various heights around his body paying special attention to the hand that grasp Rachel's. "Can you do me a favor Buddy?"

Puck raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I know you don't wanna let go of her hand but can she put a hand on your chest or somewhere else?" The sixth man looked at Rachel too when he asked this and after a brief moment Puck nodded.

Rachel placed her hand in the center of Puck's chest and then pulled her hand free of his other. There was this moment of panic for Puck but Rachel pressed down on his chest and he calmed. He wouldn't take his eyes off her though. He noticed the sixth man was now running his wand over Rachel well concentrating on the areas she was still touching him. His hands were free but she'd placed her other one on his shoulder.

Finally the sixth man pulled back and after consulting his machine a couple more times released the seal of his helmet. He pulled it off and Puck saw a young man, maybe mid-twenties with straw colored hair, buck teeth, and dull blue eyes. "He's safe. For the most part. I don't recommend anyone touching him but her but the air around him is clean up to about a centimeter above his skin."

"Why her?" The first man asked as he too removed his helmet revealed a handsome man with auburn hair and light blue eyes.

"Don't know. But where they touch the radiation is neutralized. Anyone else might as well have stuck their hand in radioactive goop."

"Thank you, Corporal. That'll be all for now."

The young man saluted and walked out.

The doctor and the nurse started to remove their helmets as well. The fifth man walked up and waved them outside. Puck wasn't paying attention to that though.

He'd caught a hold of Rachel's wrist and together they were trying to remove her suit. Her helmet came off first and he got to see her smile at him. She looked tired and her eyes were red as if she'd been crying for a very long time. It took some doing but finally they opened the front of the suit and Rachel ignored the rest of the zippers. Instead she pulled her arms and head loose and Puck couldn't stop his wide smile when she finally slipped her naked hand in his. She was trying to fight the leggings off when Puck reached out an arm and pulled her into his lap where she kicked the last of the suit off. She smiled and wiggled in his lap trying to get balanced and comfortable. With her hands now touching his skin and his hands running over her bare legs he was now much more willing to let her have both hands free, especially since she was sitting on his lap in the circle of his arms. He squeezed her to him and breathed in the scent of her hair. After noting her ringless left hand he felt bold enough to kiss her temple, her fingertips, her cheek. God she felt so warm, and soft and alive.

"I'm so glad you're okay Noah." Rachel pressed her lips together like she was trying not to cry.

"Hey Baby I'm fine." He pressed her face into his throat.

"You weren't for a long time."

"How long was I out?"

"Four months Noah. Four months! They found you in February and it's May. We graduate in a few weeks!"

"You graduate in a few weeks. Even I had been there I probably wouldn't have graduated."

"Don't talk like that." She pressed a tiny fist into his hard chest. There was no give to him anymore. It felt just like pressing her fist against a steel locker. Warm fleshy steel but nevertheless.

"Hitting a man in a hospital bed. Shame on you Rachel." He laughed and covered her little fist before bringing it up to kiss the knuckles.

She pouted and he laughed and snuggled her close.

"Shame on you Noah. They said you were driving drunk and high as a kite. I've waited four months with that question burning in my mind in between crying and raging and being worried out of my skull. Why Noah? Why were you out near the power plant drunk and high?"

Puck's face, which had been open and smiling since he'd woken up to find Rachel beside him, shut down like a steel door. He frowned down at the little fist now and rubbed his thumb over the base of her ring finger. "You still marrying him?"

Rachel just looked at him for a moment. "Noah when they called and said you were in the hospital I was the first one here. When they said we could see you but we couldn't bring anything metal into the room I pulled off my necklace and ring, unzipped my skirt and took off my shoes and bra in the WAITING ROOM. Then I ran in here and refused to leave your side. Even when Finn demanded I come back out or the wedding was off. How could I marry him when every iota of my being apparently belongs to you. I just didn't know it until the second they said you could die!" She choked up and started crying. "Oh Noah I'm so sorry! It IS my fault you were out on that road drunk and high. I'm sorry."

"Hey if it helps anything from what we can tell it was the drunk and high part that saved you." The first man said.

The two teens looked at him inquisitively.

"Uh it's complicated and honestly I probably can't even say half the words right. The scientists said something about the drugs and alcohol doing something to you that allowed the radiation to change you instead of kill you."

"One final test to see if it changed you like we think it did." The final man said. He was older, a high and tight military haircut never the less showed some of his grey hair. He had a no nonsense face and he tossed Puck a steel ingot. Puck's fist shot out to grab it. "Squeeze that as tight as you can."

Puck furrowed his brow at him but complied. He folded the thing up in his hand and squeezed. He figured it was made of aluminum or something because it was easily crushed in his hand but he hadn't squeezed as tight as he could yet. He squeezed tighter and then he saw it. Rachel jerked her legs out of the way just in time as hot molten steel ran out of his fist and burned through the sheet. It burned through the first little bit of the mattress before stopping. When Puck opened his hand it was coated by the melted quickly cooling steel. A thin sliver of the original ingot rested in the center of his palm mangled like he'd just squeezed silly putty instead of hard metal. He gapped up at the men.

"Okay we didn't expect that."

"What the FUCK were you expecting?"

"Oh yeah he's fine." stated Santana from the doorway.

The next several weeks unfold like a comic book. Rachel graduates. Puck doesn't but SHIELD gets a GED to him so he does have a diploma; not that it matters in his new job. He gets trained as a SHIELD agent, translation, he's now a superhero rubbing elbows with the likes of Captain America and Ironman; which blows his mind on a regular basis.

Cap's cool kind of reminds him of Finn only in a non-douche bag sort of way. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner both stare at him like he's a lab rat and make not so subtle hints to join them in the laboratory. Thor and Hawkeye grin at him and drag him into training rooms to beat the shit out of him while firing arrows at his ass. You'd think being irradiated would make physical fighting easy; turns out radiation means fuck all to thunder gods. Rachel mostly spends time with Black Widow which scares Puck more than he'd like to admit.

Turns out associating Rachel with a limb wasn't a bad comparision. As the only person able to touch him that translates into her having to do a lot of stuff for him that he simply can't do because he can't touch a lot of stuff. As far as he's concerned that's fine but it does make him feel bad that he's taken over her life to do this. Which is why with Ms. Potts' help he gets transferred to the Avenger's tower in New York instead of the facility out in Nebraska. There he encourages Rachel to audition. Just because he needs her doesn't mean he wants her to miss the things she needs too. He laughs when she gets a part of an Off-Off Broadway show the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas but he loves the outfits. The knowledge that she had to replace every bit of metal in the tiny bit of silk with plastic makes him extra careful when he finally peels it from her body.


	9. Skype Soldier

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and am making no money from this

"AaBbCc" = English

" _AaBbCc" = Hebrew_

Skype Soldier

Rachel sat down at the computer and turned on Skype. It was summer back in Lima and the Gleeks were all gathering at Artie's house to Skype with her since she couldn't return. Rachel had an agreement with her father's that happened before high school, before Glee, before Finn. That was that they would pay for any college she wanted but she'd have to study the first two years in Israel. Her father Hiram had grown up there and was insistent. With that her New York plans were put on hold and she lived in a tiny apartment upstairs from a shop and just a mile or so away from the college.

Although she hadn't thought she would at first Rachel had to admit she loved Israel. For one thing, like Noah Puckerman had pointed out, her nose was very Jewish and in Israel it was considered much more a sign of beauty that it was in America. It also wasn't like she was deprived of the stage. In fact she was becoming quite well known and popular for her voice and acting in school and other productions.

The connection was made and the first thing she saw was Finn's face followed by Artie's as he adjusted the camera and then Finn again as he placed the camera high enough that she could see the whole room. Everyone waved at her and she waved back smiling. She looked over all of them looking for changes and just rejoicing at seeing them again. The first thing that struck her however was how pale they all were. In the sunny desert country such pale skin was rare and Rachel herself was darker now than she'd been in high school as well. For the most part many of them looked the same. Artie was wearing his hair differently and Quinn's had grown out more. Santana seemed calmer and with Brittney seeming if anything more in love than ever. Tina and Mike however were the opposite they sat on separate sides of the room and seemed tense. Mr. Schue was handing out soda pops and even Sue Sylvester was there sporting a green tracksuit and holding a blonde curly haired baby. Mercedes and Kurt's fashion looked to have if anything gotten more bizarre and curiously Blaine was standing near Mike and studiously ignoring the Hummel boy. Sam happily waved at her and returned talking to Artie about something. Of course Noah wasn't there.

"Hey Rach." Finn beamed at her.

"Hi Finn." Rachel replied gently. " _Shalom_ everyone." Many heads turned at her voice. Softer now, gentler. Israel was a very different place than America and in turn it let Rachel be a different person. She was still driven, still all about the music and performing but she'd learned how to relax more and it showed in her gentler voice, her soft eyes. In America she'd had to shout to be heard above the noise. In Israel if she had something to say people listened. She wasn't that midget freak Berry in Israel. She wasn't the short, dark, outcast in a country that worshiped tall busty blondes. In Israel she was a beautiful young lady; short and dark and Jewish in a land were such girls were the norm. It was quite refreshing.

Various greetings came over as they too studied the Jewish girl to determine changes. Her darker skin was immediately obvious. Instead of a weak ashy tan her skin glowed with golden health and vigor. Her long dark hair was glossy, thick and curly her bangs having grown out. Her face was dominated by her soft brown eyes and pouty pale lips. There was a relaxation in her manner now that hadn't been there before; a grace in her movements; in the way her dress fell when she lifted her legs over the arm of the chair and relaxed back in the cushions.

Comments were passed about how she looked different and she replied with her own observations. Finn remained silent. He wasn't sure he liked the new look Rachel was sporting. The darker skin was off putting though he knew better than to say so and he'd never liked her hair all loose like that. Her dress showed a lot more skin than he was comfortable with being low cut enough to show the swells of her slight breasts. It irritated him the way Sam and Mike's eyes stared at the tiny strap of her dress when it fell off her shoulder. Mainly it was her manner that put him off. Before she left she was nervous, flighty and completely enthralled by him. Now as she conversed with Mercedes and Kurt she didn't treat him any different than she did anyone else.

Finally she turned to Finn with a gentle smile. He smiled back but it was a bit nervously. Before they left her dad's had forced them to break the engagement and gave Finn his ring back but Rachel and Finn had sworn that love would prevail. They had exchanged letters over the last year but even Finn couldn't fail to notice that the letters got shorter and shorter as they ran out of things to converse about. Especially since Rachel could care less about the goings on of Lima and Finn wasn't sure he could find Israel on a map. At first he'd suggested being able to visit Rachel but she'd gently explained that Israel was very very far away and that it would be impossible.

"So…did you get the part in that one thing you were going for?" Every word was separated by a pause. Truthfully Finn couldn't pronounce the play Rachel was going to be in and he'd forgotten the translation. He was racking his brains to think of anything he could talk about with her. In the letters it had become increasingly apparent that outside of Glee and high school there was pitifully little they could talk about. Besides singing they had next to nothing in common and if he'd thought it was difficult to keep up with Rachel in person then reading her letters was a trail by fire. He resorted to keeping a dictionary on hand and a liberal use of Google at first but now he barely cared to do that.

"Yes I did." Rachel turned to tell Kurt who was looking interested in a part she'd gotten but Finn broke in desperate to retain her attention.

"Tell me about it."

"O-kay." Rachel looked back at him blinking her big eyes as if she couldn't quite believe he was asking. She launched into a joyful deluge of information about a musical called _Love Impossible_. Finn relaxed. This Rachel was much more his speed, fully concentrated on him. Sure he didn't understand half of what she was rapidly saying but every time her attention stared to wander away to Kurt or Tina in her dialogue he'd say something to bring her attention back to him. It was very rewarding to have those bright brown eyes shining on him again. He didn't notice at first the way Artie and Sam winced whenever he'd drag Rachel's attention back towards himself but he definitely noticed when he suddenly wasn't able to grab Rachel's attention at all. She held a quick hand up to the camera to silence him and seemed to be focused on something behind her in the dark room.

" _Oh Baby I'm beat."_ Came a male voice from behind her. The voice almost sounded familiar but in the guttural Hebrew tongue neither Finn nor the rest of the Gleeks could quite place it.

" _Are you hurt?"_ a note of distress in Rachel's voice put them on edge.

The rough voice again, _"Just tired. Will you rub my feet later?"_

" _Yes. My strong man so weak and weary a little kitten could knock him down?"_ Rachel now spoke in a teasing tone as she got up and the Gleeks saw the man for the first time. Most of him anyway. The camera was angled in such a way to see Rachel while she sat at the computer. They could still see her due to her diminutive height but the man's head was cut off from view.

From what they could see he was military of some sort. He sat various guns and knives down on what looked like a kitchen table they could now see as he'd flipped on a light when he came in. Rachel flitted about him unsnapping snaps and unbuttoning buttons as she helped him get out of what looked like riot gear while keeping up a constant stream of chatter. Finally the man was divested of most of his gear and he sat down to take off his boots as Rachel gathered up the helmet and vest to hang on the wall. Unfortunately his back was to the camera so beside the fact that his hair was shorn close to his skull they still didn't see his face.

Meanwhile Finn's face grew darker and darker. He didn't know who this man was but he didn't like the way Rachel doted on him and he especially didn't like the way the man seemed to constantly be touching Rachel. The first things he'd taken off had been his gloves and he'd busied himself with the feel of her skin as soon as he was able.

The man pulled his shirt over his head and stood back up and Mercedes let out a hum of appreciation. Broad shoulders, a heavily muscled back and huge arms covered by dark olive skin Mercedes was merely verbalizing what every woman in the room was thinking; damn that was a finely built man. Kurt elbowed his black sister and nodded towards Finn's frowning face. Mercedes looked confused because surely Kurt would appreciate such a fine specimen but seeing Finn's face cleared up the confusion. The former quarterback looked ready to blow as Rachel disappeared from sight when the big soldier wrapped his arms around her from behind and dipped his head in what was presumably a kiss.

"Rachel!" Finn barked out. This time he did see Sam and Artie wince at his blatant attempt to regain Rachel's attention. Finn thought they must be as pissed off as him at the liberties this man was taking.

The soldier's body tensed and when he turned a knife was in his hand although how or from where was anyone's guess. Again they couldn't see his face due to his height and the angle of the camera but the rest of the view from the front more than made up for it in the ladies and homosexual's opinion. Heavy pectoral muscles flexed and jumped as the man relaxed at the sight of the computer and rolled his shoulders back. The flex of muscle led an impressive chase down a smoothly muscled torso where two tight lines like arrows disappeared into his pants. His body unlike Mike's and Sam's in high school was not incredibly defined and ridged. While it was absolutely clear that the man was in perfect condition his was working muscle and when at rest was smooth and firm looking. Rachel ran a hand down the big soldier's chest and he turned his attention back to her. She looked up at him with pouty lips and soft eyes as she traced the line of muscle that led down into his pants before lightly running the back of her fingers up and down his lower belly. He further relaxed. They spoke in low voices. Rachel pouted and frowned but the soldier was adamant about something. He put the knife away and stalked further back in the house while Rachel returned to the computer chair while muttering under her breath in Hebrew.

" _Stubborn ass."_ She cursed but when she sat down she turned a concerned and sad face towards the room the soldier had disappeared into. "Sorry everyone my roommate is back. So what were we talking about?"

"That's your roommate! He looked like a hell of a lot more." Finn growled out.

Rachel at first looked surprised but then frowned at Finn.

" _Finn still running his fucking mouth? Why do you even talk to him anymore Baby? I thought we agreed he was toxic for you."_ The man's voice came back as he walked up right behind Rachel's chair. His heavy pants had been exchanged for loose boxers and he ran his hands over Rachel's head, face and shoulders as he stood behind her. She rose up on her knees to face him and he bent to definitely kiss her again.

Finn grit his teeth as the soldier's hands roamed over her soft skin. Sam and Artie exchanged a grimace at the angry jealousy that had rolled over Finn's face. Various other looks were exchanged around the room.

" _This is a meeting with all the Gleeks so of course he's there. Are sure you won't sit down and talk to them? Sam and Artie and Mike are there. Don't you want to…shoot the shit… with Santana or something."_

" _Yeah, Lovely, I do but you know he's going to cause a big time or say something that's gonna make me want to kill him."_

" _Well ignore him and concentrate on the fact that not only is he 7,000 miles away but tonight after we turn off the computer I'm going to follow you into that bedroom and let you do lots and lots of wild and wicked things to me while he has nothing but a few dark memories of the three times we had sex. You get to do those things for the rest of our lives. You got the girl Noah. He lost."_

A slow smile curled the lips of the mystery man of which the rest of the Gleeks could still only still his mouth along with the magnificent rest of him. Santana's eyes widened. She recognized that smile.

"Puck?" Santana asked in almost a whisper.

A dark chuckle came from the man before he walked around and slouched back into the chair sideways. "Hey kids." Sure enough Noah Puckerman was the mysterious soldier. Like Rachel his skin was darker and seemed to glow with health. Unlike Rachel there was a new tightness to his body, a new hardness in his eyes. He wasn't a jock now but a soldier and now there was coiled deadly power in his muscles as opposed to the juvenile bully he had been. Rachel laid down across his body in a comfortable and familiar way, snuggling into his warmth and kissing his chest before turning to lay her cheek on the kiss and smile at them.

7,000 miles away Finn exploded and Artie quickly ended the transmission.


End file.
